


Blind Pilots

by Potatochutney



Series: Pacific Erebor [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Alternate Universe - Race Changes, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Drug Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lots of friendship over relationships, M/M, More friendship than relationship, Multi, Pacific Rim AU, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Racebent, Sexual Humor, Slight Violence, Thranduil is a racist bastard, lots of character deaths, minor racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-09 06:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1972938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potatochutney/pseuds/Potatochutney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The earth feared the Kaiju, but the Durinsons certainly didn't. They were the face of Erebor's finest, until things went downhill, leaving only two as pilots.<br/>Enlisting the help of a certain scientist of the name Bilbo, Gandalf planned to bring the Jaegers back to proper strength.<br/>But would they save the earth from annihilation, or fail?</p><p>Pacific Rim/Hobbit fusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A single warning siren was all that prepared the great region of Erebor home to the cities of Dale and main city Lonel, a fertile land known for its wealth and fineries. A single siren and a gust of death from the sea and then the Kaiju began to kill and destroy all that Erebor had in its path. Aerial attacks were of no help, for three days it wrecked and ruined Dale and Lonel, with the grand and long standing city reduced to almost complete rubble. By the time a jaeger was deployed, the Mirky Green, the Kaiju vanished. On that day the region of Erebor knew what fear and hardships were.

 

\----------

 

When the great serpent attacked, it was devastating, it was codenamed Wurm by the pan pacific defence corps, but became known as Smaug by the survivors of the attack. It devastated the region of Erebor on the American coast, killing thousands before seeming to vanish from whence it came, leaving only a wake of death and destruction and rumour.

On that day, the Durinson family knew that their duty was to defend, having seen so many die in one attack, members of their army base, members of the nearby naval base. They would have lost everything, had the last two remaining members been any weaker. Thorin, Fili, Kili and Dis Durinson, the last of their family would do all they could to protect their home region from future attacks when the Mirky Green’s pilots did nothing. They cursed and openly called out the Pilots, Thranduil and Legolas Orophoron who refused to admit that they were wrong in not destroying Wurm when they had the chance, for it simply vanished.

 

Thorin gained his most loyal and close friend in the days and weeks after the attack and they joined the scheme, finding that they were drift compatible and were and they were given control of the Maker’s Hammer, a slow but powerful and efficient mark II Jaeger.

That had been ten years ago.

Fili and Kili killed their first Kaiju in an attack that had killed their father and harmed his co-pilot in the Philippines before they’d ended its miserable life. When they found out that they hadn’t saved his life despite their valiant efforts they had been so upset that they didn’t need to ghost drift to know what the other needed, which was solitude with their mother.

That had been five years ago.

The kaiju named Fell attacked America, most of Hobbiton and the surrounding Shire region had been protected by rangers but a few had died. Bilbo Baggins had become enthralled by the majesty that was Kaiju, determined to learn all that he could about these strange beasts, so had joined up with his nearest shatterdome for a better life for his young nephew Frodo who had come to live with him after the attack in Hobbiton as his parents had fallen into the river as the kaiju reared out to attack.

That had been four years ago.

Ori had joined up with the research team after his brother began the black market trade in kaiju parts, much to the approval of Dori and amusement of Nori who sent him claws and scales as a gift to help him get better established in the group as a reliable source of knowledge for their team.

That had been three years ago.

Thorin had retired due to the mental toll that being the right pilot took and had surprisingly gone into construction at the Hawaiian wall of life.

That had been two years ago.

 

Today, Mr M. Gandalf entered the Library of the shatterdome and headed straight to one Bilbo Baggins, who was busy dictating to Ori the conclusion of their work together for that day. Ori found that Bilbo could structure the words better for him to write it down, as the other way around meant that either the words were jumbled or too many words were put in unnecessarily.  
Both looked up from their work and both saluted him before they finished off the last line.

“Mister Gandalf.” Ori greeted the older man, quickly finishing up before standing up to bow to him, which Bilbo copied, though not as straight backed as his workmate.

“Gandalf, what can we do for you today? Would you like some tea? We’re just about finished with this report about the structure of the last attack and what we think was the reason for the way they attack. It’s really fascinating, honestly!” Bilbo said, it was interesting to himself and Ori, at least. Some of the team were less enthusiastic which was why those two worked together most often.

“Well, I was actually wondering if I could get in contact with a certain parts dealer, you may know of him. He has star shaped hair.” Gandalf said, eyes fixed on a decidedly still Ori.

“Wh...what do you need him for, master Gandalf?” Ori asked, voice sounding a little weak.

“I plan on bringing you closer to the action, but want more samples as well, nothing he wants to sell of course. Can you tell him we predict the next attack will be at Hawaii? We will be travelling out in a few days with a few teams in preparation to take it down. I would quite like for him to come on his own terms and collect samples for us properly, since the Tooks have been ruining my current samples before they even arrive for you to check.” Gandalf explained.

Bilbo’s face paled at the mere thought. Hawaii. With Jaeger Pilots. And potentially getting close to Kaiju.

Before Ori had the chance to reply, Bilbo calmly placed down one of the pieces of paper and mumbled a quick ‘nope’ before dropping straight to the floor.  
Both men looked at each other before Ori quickly nodded and agreed to go to Hawaii while Gandalf went to get somebody to help Bilbo, of course Dori and Balin were the first to respond but for completely different reasons.

 

When Bilbo came to, he was sat in his bunk with Frodo holding a cup of tea and the sounds of Ori and Dori arguing about if he should go that close to danger. Naturally Bilbo didn’t care, he just wanted to sit and be happy. He dismissed Frodo and was greeted by a rough knock on the door, going to open it only to come face to face with a bright blue beard.

“Dwalin, at yer service.” He said quickly, saluting Bilbo. He knew Dwalin from watching the pilots training and in action, though he wasn’t quite sure why the ex-Pilot was at his door.

“Bilbo Baggins...at um, yours?” He responded, a little in confusion.

“Ganfalf wants you to go to Hawaii. So do I. You’ll be near the wall of life. You need to get Thorin Durinson back here, we need him. I’m not allowed off base, but he really, really needs to be here. The world’s going to end Bilbo, we need all we can get.” Dwalin explained, his gravelly voice making it hard for Bilbo to not want to obey his orders.

“But- I’m- I don’t even know Thorin Durinson!” Bilbo protested, trying to stand at full height, which admittedly wasn’t much compared to Dwalin’s impressive six foot.

“You’re going to go and get back the finest Pilot I’ve ever known. Got that boy-o?” Dwalin growled, before turning on his heel and marching away before Bilbo could stop him.

In that moment Bilbo wondered why he was being chosen to go, then he realised it was all gandalf’s doing, playing a game to get Bilbo to go to Hawaii with the small Russian scholar and the older more intimidating brothers he knew would come hand in hand with Ori.

 

Bilbo grabbed his tobacco and marched to Gandalf, rolling his cigarette up as went to go and find the busybody behind the people encouraging his being forced to go to Hawaii, when he found himself pushed into a side corridor in a blur of brown, blonde and blue.

“Wha- What is the meaning of this?” Bilbo all but shouted, eyes wide, cigarette long trampled and his temper rising.  
“Fili and kili, at your service” They said in unison, before the elder pulled out a cigarette from his blue uniform and passed it to Bilbo.

“Here’s the plan, mister boggins, we need you to go to Hawaii with the ‘Ri brothers so we can have our uncle back. We figured we’d ask you to go first before somebody too rude beats you up so you go.” Kili said, holding a lighter up for Bilbo to smoke the cigarette.

“When we say somebody too rude we mean our mother will beat you up until you agree to go and fetch him back for us. See, we’re going to Hawaii too but we won’t be allowed to go to the wall of life, which is where uncle is. So you need to go there for us and get him.” Fili continued, glancing over at his brother.

Bilbo frowned and opened his mouth to speak.  
“Yes, well you-“ He started, before he was interrupted.

“So you’ll go? Wonderful! We hope to see uncle soon enough then!” Fili smiled brightly, before they vanished as quickly as they’d arrived.  
Bilbo continued on his journey to find Gandalf, now very annoyed. He threw open the doors to Gandalf’s study with an almighty push.

“Mister Gandalf, I must say you trying to force me into going to Hawaii isn’t going to work!” He shouted, cheeks a dusky red with anger.  
“My dear Bilbo, what seems to be the matter now? I just wanted to give you an encouraging push, after all you wanted to study them up close, did you not?” Gandalf asked, a twinkle in his eyes as he took a puff from his pipe.

“You set the pilots on me, didn’t you? So I’d come to Hawaii and be useful to you! Well the joke is on you because I already agreed that I would go because Ori needs me to be there so he has some kind of sanity with his brothers there.” Bilbo said, puffing up a little triumphantly at Gandalf’s surprised expression.

“Well then I suppose we should get you packed up. Frodo cannot come with us, so he’ll be under Balin’s care for a while. No harm will come to him, you know old Balin wouldn’t ever harm him. I’ve made the preparations, you’ll be travelling on the plane with the Durinsons and Ori. Nori and Dori will arrive together so they can argue about what’s best for their younger brother without him being there.” The old man chuckled.

For a moment Bilbo nearly dropped his cigarette, but then shook his head and nodded. “Very well, Gandalf. When ah...when are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning. Get ready to leave.”

 

 

Special thanks to Ray (Tumblr URL: Witch-of-gaming) for creating this image using the official pacific rim jaeger designer website for me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> List of Races:  
> Bilbo: Danish-american/Somalian  
> Frodo: Danish-american  
> Thorin, Frerin & Dis: Irish-american  
> Fili & Kili: Irish-american/Filipino   
> Thranduil: Taiwanese  
> Legolas: Chinese/Taiwanese  
> Dori, Nori & Ori: Russian  
> Dwalin & Balin: Kenyan  
> Oin & Gloin: Danish-Greenlandic  
> Bifur: Korean/Japanese  
> Bofur & Bombur: Korean  
> Gandalf: Japanese


	2. Chapter 2

Bilbo found himself pushed onto a flight at 4am, while Frodo had said his tearful goodbyes before he’d slept the night before. He was sat between Ori and Gandalf, trying not to worry too much. Both of the Durinson brothers were giving him a very deliberate look, their jaeger being transported ahead of them. 

Once he’d had the chance, he’d inspected the Durinson family’s jaegers. In total there were 4 different jaegers that each member had piloted. 

Thorin and Dwalin in the Maker’s hammer, which was a rose gold and gunmetal grey mark II, fists like hammers with spikes and projectiles on the knuckles. Apparently in the first battle against a Kaiju they’d picked up a huge tree and used it akin to a baseball bat and shield, earning Thorin Durinson the nickname Oakenshield as it had been his idea. The shoulders on the machine were high and had high spikes close to the ‘head’ so that the pod couldn’t take any damage without damaging the Kaiju more. It was certainly impressive, and intimidating.   
Somehow he could see the blue bearded Kenyan with his equally intimidating co-pilot fighting in a storm...It seemed almost majestic to him, the way that they fought on TV. Before his home region had been attacked he didn’t pay much attention to the Jaegers, but now he was a little enthralled by their majesty. 

 

The younger Durinson brothers weren’t really Durinsons, as their father wasn’t Thorin’s brother, yet everyone still knew them as Durinsons. Their Jaeger was a mark IV named the Knifed Drawstring, in blue and grey colours, with a rather interesting design, they could take all of the power out of the left arm and transfer it into the right arm for a triple charged attack.   
The arms of their Jaeger would make the motion of drawing a bow, with the right palm tapping into the power of the blasts on the left palm, drawing it back down the arm until it was unable to fire projectiles, but had just enough power to move still, before releasing it and letting off a huge blast of power.   
It was a risky tactic which they only used if the Kaiju got a distance away and was going after something else. It had cleaved a category II Kaiju clean in half once, which was rather incredible to see. 

 

Fili and Kili’s father, Vili had been an honourary Durinson, marrying Dis who was Thorin’s sister. He had piloted the Throwing Knife with a man named Bofur. On the Knifed Drawstring’s first mission, the Throwing Knife had insisted on coming with them to make sure they were okay should anything go wrong. And it had gone wrong, Fili had gotten cocky and Kili chased the rabbit if only momentarily, so Vili and Bofur had to take over but it had gone wrong and Vili had died after the Knifed Drawstring recovered and killed the Kaiju.   
Bilbo didn’t know what happened to Bofur after he left, other than he was in a continuous state of ghost drift with a dead man. He supposed that must be quite awful, but that was if he even was still alive.

 

Finally the last Durinson was Frerin, the uncle of Fili and Kili. He’d piloted a jaeger with Ori’s older brother Nori before he went rogue, apparently they were cunning and quick in their Jaeger but something had gone wrong and Nori had been dropped out of his harness, leaving Frerin to pilot it alone until the Kaiju was dead, before having a massive seizure and dying. Their Jaeger was already in Oblivion Bay, it had been called Starry Sky and was indigo and emerald with azure stripes.   
Nori hadn’t ever gotten over that death and remained angry at the world which allowed something like that to have happened to his best friend. Then he’d gotten into illegalities, much to Dori’s dismay and to credit Ori in being able to help the teams that didn’t take him all that seriously. 

 

Bilbo found it interesting how all the important people alive linked together somehow. Not that it explained Gandalf though, as he wasn’t a pilot or a designer, as far as Bilbo knew.   
Maybe he was just a high ranking member of the CIA? But then he wasn’t American in the slightest, he was Japanese. Maybe they were playing on the old “Godzilla fighting” stereotype and Gandalf just happened to be very skilled in being the controller of the group? That seemed somewhat likely at least, the old man was very cunning and he was in contact with several other high ranking Jaeger Tech leaders, he was the regional leader for North America.   
The leader for Oceania was a man named Elrond, his two sons were prime fighters while his daughter was married to the famous pilot Aragorn Ellessar.   
In Asia, their strongest region, the leader was a fair woman named Galadriel, a Taiwanese woman who not only piloted one of the first Jaegers, but also killed the first Kaiju in Asia after her family began making and designing the machines to kill the world’s enemy. 

At some point Bilbo had drifted to sleep, as he was awakened by Fili and Kili whooping and running off of the plane to inspect the Knifed Drawstring. Bilbo and Ori followed behind slowly, with Bilbo rubbing his eyes in the bright daylight. 

“Is...Is this where I think it is?” He asked in surprise, looking around. He’d seen it in all the old war photos, all the different postcards and films, but being in Pearl Harbour was really quite overwhelming. The old military naval bases had been transformed into the current shatter dome, which was opening up to allow the Knifed Drawstring to join the other jaegers within. He looked out across the horizon and saw the wall of life, built from the top island down to the bottom.   
Bilbo supposed they were really necessary as a single Kaiju could kill the entire main island if it tried. 

Gandalf looked over at it in disdain, Bilbo knew that their funding was going to be cut, that the walls were going to be invested in more than they were.   
He didn’t support the walls at all. But he knew that at least the people on the islands in Hawaii would at least have jobs, which was better than the former homeless problem. Of course, he knew the drug issue would be even worse now, but that wasn’t the point. And then Bilbo remembered that Fili, Kili, Dis and Dwalin all wanted him to find Thorin for them. Well, this wouldn’t be easy. 

 

Once Ori was settled with his brothers and the Durinson boys were up to some mischief, Bilbo was escorted to the wall of life.   
He was greeted by a huge man with golden eyes and scar covered skin. 

“What’s a bunny like you doing at a place like this, Jaeger tech researcher?” The man asked. His voice was deeper than Dwalin’s, something he hadn’t imagined to be possible at all. 

“I erm. I was sent here to find a Thorin? Thorin Durinson? I was told that he was here.” Bilbo stammered, wholly intimidated by this bear of a man. 

“Is that so? I am Beorn, and I am guessing that Mithrandir Gandalf sent you? I’ll bring you to him. Grab a harness, little bunny.” The man- Beorn said, grabbing a hard helmet to place on Bilbo’s head. 

And that was how Bilbo found himself climbing up a skeletal structure with Beorn, the scaffolding was definitely not helping his nerves as he thought he saw blood stains as he ascended. 

They reached an opening, a tunnel of concrete at a high level, with several men and their crack pipes getting high. Bilbo’s face paled as he looked around, he could barely even see them, how would he know where Thorin would be?

“Thorin Durinson front and center.” Beorn called out, voice ringing through the tunnel. Some men moved away, while one stood and marched proudly towards them, a definite military man. He was just as imposing as Dwalin, if not more so and Bilbo found himself in slight awe. But then the light shone through, the ice blue eyes showing that he was high as a kite. 

“What do you want? Is there an opening on the top?” Thorin’s speech was slurred, he was thin and ragged looking. 

“I uh, I was sent by mister Gandalf to bring you back to the shatterdome.” Bilbo spoke up, before Beorn could speak for him.   
Immediately he found himself hoisted by the harness and dangled over the edge of the pipe. He flailed, he knew he wouldn’t fall to his death because of the harness, but he would certainly be injured if he was dropped from this height. 

“A-And Dwalin, Dwalin wants to see you! Dwalin needs you!” Bilbo added, voice high with fear before he found himself being pulled back in by Beorn, with Thorin being lifted up in turn by the huge Micronesian man. 

“You don’t hurt little bunny, I don’t care who you are. You need to respect my guests, Thorin Oakenshield!” Beorn roared, before throwing the addict to the floor. 

Thorin stood and brushed himself off with a quiet curse. “You can tell mister Gandalf that he can stick his pipe where the sun doesn’t shine. And tell Dwalin if he wants me he can drag me back himself.”   
Bilbo wrung his hands in dismay, he couldn’t think of any way to better make him come back other than bringing his family into it. 

“Frerin would be disappointed.” Bilbo mumbled, before finding himself thrown completely out, with Thorin trying to choke him as they fell together. They hit one of the metal rods and Bilbo was certain he was going to die, blood pounding in his ears. 

 

He must have passed out, as when he was next aware of his surroundings, he tasted blood in his mouth and a blanket around his shoulders, with a very beaten up Thorin opposite him. They were still at the wall, however. 

Bilbo swallowed painfully and reached for his cup of tea. It felt like his left hand was broken, thankfully not his writing hand at least. He took a shaky sip, glad that at least it got rid of some of the taste of blood in his mouth

He took a deep breath and coughed up some blood, clearing his lungs. He reached into his pocket and began to roll up a cigarette, but as his hand was broken he ended up making a squeak of pain. That gained Thorin’s attention, at least. 

“Pass it here. I’ll roll it for you, since I blackened your eye, bloodied your nose, broke your fingers and maybe your rib.” He grunted, coming forward with a slight limp to take the paper, filter and tobacco from Bilbo, rolling it up for him, before sticking it in the short man’s mouth and lighting for him. 

“I suppose...Thank you.” Bilbo mumbled, taking a deep puff of the cigarette.   
“You’re more trouble than you’re worth, if Beorn didn’t seem to like you then you’d be dead already.” Thorin declared, before moving back to where he’d been sat. 

“Thorin, it wasn’t just Gandalf and Dwalin that sent me. It was Fili and Kili. They’re here. The next attack will be here, I helped calculate it. Tomorrow night or the day after, it will be soon. You need to go back, you can help them better than anyone. If they died then you would never forgive yourself, would you?” Bilbo said, realising he should have taken this stance the entire time. 

Thorin stopped moving, stopped breathing if for a second. “My nephews? Here? We must go right this instant. Those damned Orophorons and their team are stationed here. They’ll allow them to die. Get up. We’re going.” Thorin ordered, no longer seeming like a desolate cocaine addict. 

Bilbo winced and got up, heading out to the boat that had brought him there to start with. Thorin climbed in and away they went, arriving two and a half hours later at the pearl harbour base. 

Gandalf stood on the dock with a knowing smile, before placing a hand on Thorin’s chest. 

“You’re hiding something. Give me all of your drugs, Thorin. Do not test me.” He ordered the bedraggled ranger, who unwillingly passed four crack pipes and all of his drugs over to Gandalf, who dropped the pipes on the floor. 

“Crush them.” 

Thorin did as instructed. 

“Now you will go, you will shower and eat and put on your uniform and you will see your nephews.” Gandalf said, glancing and winking at Bilbo who glowered with his black eye. 

Damn these Jaeger Tech members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional races of characters mentioned (specified and not by Bilbo)  
> Galadriel- Taiwanese  
> Beorn- Micronesian  
> Elrond- White Australian  
> Arwen and the E twins- White Aus/Taiwanese  
> Aragorn- Mexican/German american  
> Vili- Filipino


	3. Chapter 3

Bilbo sat in the library beside Ori and grunted from the pain that shot through his ribs as he moved. He received a sympathetic glance from Ori and then coughed weakly. 

“Damn Durinsons will be the death of me.” He muttered, pulling out their research files. “So...Are your brothers here yet or did one kill the other with a knife or smothering?” 

A throat was cleared somewhere above them and Bilbo looked up to see what must be the middle ‘Ri brother playing with a knife. 

“Well, Dori tried but he’s never been good at doing anything of the sort and now he’s sulking in the cafeteria.” Nori joked, climbing down to sit beside Ori who received a pat on the head from his older, bolder and fierier haired brother. Bilbo sheepishly smiled at him, before pulling out a sheet of statistics. He frowned and glanced over at Ori. 

“I think you need to look at this. Right now. Correlation on the X axis.” Bilbo ordered, passing the paper to Ori, who paled and looked up. Nori looked between them and squinted at the map, but it didn’t mean anything to him. 

“What exactly does this graph say? I don’t understand.” Nori asked, brows furrowing. 

“This next attack...It’ll be stronger, maybe only category three like all the others, but it will still have new adaptations. Recently...Well you know what they’ve been like recently, right? They’re adapting to kill pilots inside the machines rather than killing the entire machine.” Ori hurriedly explained, running a hand through his hair, lip trembling. 

“What Ori means is that they’re going to figure out the weaknesses of the jaegers. We think...We think they might have some kind of hive mind, like insects, like drones. They all know the same knowledge as the ones that die. They’re learning. The last jaeger destroyed...What was it? A mark three?” Bilbo asked, waving his hand to prompt one of the Russians to respond. 

“It was a mark three, the kaiju stabbed a hole into the core and then tore the head off and ate it. Seeing White was the name, piloted by Boromir and De-“ Nori replied, before being cut off by Ori getting up to run, with Bilbo close behind him. 

With every step, Bilbo’s rib strained and stabbed at him. They had to warn Gandalf, they had to warn the pilots. There were only three jaegers here, the Knifed Drawstring, the Mirky Green and the Sushi Quiver. Fili and Kili would be deployed as attack while the Mirky Green would be the defence, the Sushi Quiver was intended to be attack but it wasn’t at full capacity so it would be on defence too, as a secondary ambush if necessary. 

“Gandalf! Gandalf we need to change the plan!” Ori shouted as soon as he got into the control room, which caused a surprised Gandalf to look up from his bowl of rice. 

“My dear Ori what is the matter?” The wizened man asked as Bilbo came hurtling into the room brandishing the graph. 

“The- It’s the- They-!” Ori stammered before breaking down into babbled Russian, unable to fully verbalise in English. 

“It’s the Kaiju, they’re learning our tactics, they know how to attack the jaegers, they’re learning the weaknesses, that’s, that’s why so many have been taken down lately.” Bilbo blurted, cheeks red and curly hair askew. Nori came in a few moments later, clutching his stomach.  
“I’m not made for this anymore, you need to learn to slow down” Nori huffed, out of breath as he clutched a side stitch. 

“Well...then we’ll have two on attack and one on defence, how about that?” Gandalf asked. “We’ll put the Durinsons and Orophorons on attack with Sushi Quiver on Defence. That changes it up as normally we have one jaeger drops and when it is three jaeger drops we have two standing back. Bilbo, you should go and deal with the Orophorons while Ori deals with the Durinsons. Considering what state Bilbo is in, I don’t think Fili and Kili would be very happy to know their uncle did that to their favourite researcher.” The old man chuckled. Bilbo and Ori saluted Gandalf while Nori just waved and tottered off after Ori.

 

Bilbo found himself travelling through the maze of corridors until he found the team quarters for the Mirky Green. Once he reached the closer inner regions he found himself being followed by a south American woman. 

“Um. Excuse me? I’m looking for the Orophorons. Gandalf sent me.” Bilbo timidly spoke up, after being followed for a few more corridors. The woman seemed almost surprised. 

“I was not following you, I was heading this way anyway. What is your business with Thranduil?” She asked, coming closer. 

“Battle strategy, they’re being moved from defence to offense.” Bilbo quickly answered a little intimidated by this woman. 

“Are you with the Durinson team?” She asked, getting a quick head shake in response. 

“No, no I’m a researcher. Please would you take me to them? I need to explain to them the situation fully.” 

“Very well.”

They walked together, neither saying much to the other. She seemed to be analysing Bilbo, eyes penetrating through his dark curls, through every freckle of his dark skin, even his gait seemed to be assessed by this woman. Eventually they came out into a large dome like room. 

Legolas and Thranduil were in the center of the room, training with multiple sparring partners. They were fluid but completely in synch as they fought, eventually defeating their sparring partners and glancing over. Legolas’ eyes went to the woman beside him before glancing to Bilbo with a small frown, while Thranduil’s fixed on Bilbo right away. 

“Tell me, why is Gandalf sending a puny mulatto into my quarters? You’re not fit for fighting, so what does he expect you to do for me?” Thranduil spoke first, eyes burning a hole into Bilbo. 

A tiny fire lit in Bilbo’s stomach. He wouldn’t be spoken to like that. He took a deep breath, almost as if to puff himself up. “Actually, I was sent here by Gandalf in regards to the battle plans, I’m one of his chief advisors! You are being moved from defence to offence, if you don’t like it then you can suck my big ‘mulatto’ co-!” Bilbo snapped, before being dragged backwards by the woman before a blow could reach him. 

“Watch your mouth, little man, or you will find you will have more than just a few bruises than you already do.” Legolas snarled, before his father placed a hand on his chest. They looked painfully similar, their long black hair tied back out of the way, though Thranduil had darker and thicker brows than his son. 

Bilbo struggled free from the woman’s hold and indignantly brushed himself off. 

“Tauriel take this man away back to his companions, he’s almost certainly with that company of Durinsons, even if Gandalf sent him.” Thranduil said, before turning and walking away. Legolas watched the woman- Tauriel guide him away and back to the library. He shook her off and stormed in, boiling with rage. 

 

“Those Orophorons! I want their heads on a stick! So rude! He-He called me the worst thing!” Bilbo shouted, expecting to see Ori, instead coming face to face with Thorin. 

“What did they say to you?” Thorin asked, leaning forward a little. “Did they harm you?” 

“It’s...It’s nothing, really. What are you doing here? Can I help you with anything?” Bilbo asked, unwilling to talk to this oaf about what those insolent pilots had said to him. 

“Well. I wanted to apologise to you. For the wall. Ori and his brothers have gone to eat. Gandalf said I had to share quarters in your corridor but I don’t know where exactly that is. So take me there.” Thorin seemed somewhat reluctant to admit he didn’t know where he was going. Bilbo had heard that the Durinson men had terrible directional skills, so at least he wasn’t hearing complete rumours. 

“Ah...Alright then.” Bilbo frowned, but didn’t allow himself to give Thorin a smile of any sort, he was still angry at the man for what had happened earlier at the wall. He was hungry and wanted to sleep. Quickly he paced through the corridors until they reached their quarters. Bilbo stood in the corridor in front of his door, automatically Thorin went to try and open it before Bilbo cleared his throat.

“That’s my room. Yours is across the way.” Bilbo smirked as the man puffed up with embarrassment and hurried into the room, Bilbo pacing into his own to get changed. 

He exited his room half an hour later after having showered and gotten dressed, to see Thorin sat on the floor in his room.  
Was he passed out? Bilbo smacked his forehead. Of course, he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms! 

He quickly entered Thorin’s room and attempted to lift him up onto the bed, earning him a harsh growl from the man who was surprisingly light. Bilbo bit his lip and set him down, tucking the blanket around him. “I’ll be right back with some food and Dori, okay?” He quickly said, but was stopped by a harsh hand in a vice grip on his wrist. 

“Don’t bring anyone here. Just bring me food and water.” Thorin ordered, eyes glowing with white hot fury. Bilbo found himself unable to do anything except nod and run to get the food. 

At the cafeteria he quickly assembled his meal of vegetables, mash, bread, a little meat and some juice. For Thorin he used most of his own meat ration and some of Ori’s as he knew Ori was vegetarian anyway, as well as Thorin’s and then some fish as there was plenty brought in from non-diseased areas. He figured that the ex-pilot needed as much red meat as possible for his iron, as well as the food to help build his strength after having been up on the wall for so long. He hurried back to their quarters with a pitcher of water. 

He knelt down beside Thorin and for a moment dithered. Thorin was asleep, it seemed. He tapped the man’s shoulder and set the meal on his bed-side table. “I gave you most of my meat and Ori’s too, you need to eat, you weigh barely anything.” Bilbo murmured, before shaking his shoulder. “Wake up and eat you oaf.” He tried again. Thorin still didn’t respond. Bilbo rolled his eyes and leant closer. “There’s a kaiju coming to eat you if you don't wake up.” 

That certainly got the man to wake up, eyes wide as he looked for the fictional threat, before snarling at Bilbo who was watching him with a satisfied smirk as he glowered and took his meal. 

“I’ll leave you be. You need to realise you’re now going into withdrawal, Thorin. Be strong for Fili and Kili since they’ll need you.” Bilbo instructed, before marching away from the room into his own, making himself a cup of tea to have after his meal. 

 

The call for Kaiju attack was at 4am, with Fili and Kili being roused from their slumber much to the dismay of Thorin who insisted on watching them from the control room. Bilbo, Gandalf, Dori and Thorin watched in anticipation as Sushi Quiver, Knifed Drawstring and Mirky Green were dropped into the sea a few thousand meters from the wall of life. 

 

The Kaiju surfaced, it was frog-like and bulbous. It disgusted Bilbo just to look at, the sack under its chin was huge and bright blue with green spots, the eyes bulging out of its head with a small crown of spikes running along the head, elbows and spine. The main colour was a blue-gray and a sickly fluorescent green over the armoured plating of the stomach. It seemed to be built based on a toad and a turtle, mostly protecting areas that were not normally targeted by pilots. And the most visible part was that it was covered from head to toe in huge parasites of different kinds, some looked like woodlice, others spiders, others like fleas or ticks. It’s code name was Konlin and the category was a three as predicted. 

The Mirky Green was the first to move, firing two rockets towards the beast’s eyes, which seemed to move and avoid being hit, before it roared and swiped at the Mirky Green, parasites jumping off onto the machine. Bilbo could imagine the disgust on the Taiwanese men’s faces at being covered in the bugs. 

“This is disgusting! I want the machine cleansed with fire when we return.” Growled Thranduil. Once the Kaiju was facing away, the brothers began their assault, shooting at the back of the monster’s neck, which it responded to by turning and...well, croaking before submerging. 

“It’s gone? Where does radar say it is?” Kili asked, the Knifed Drawstring’s head turning side to side as both Jaegers looked in the water, each telling the other that they’d lost it, arguing as they fished for it, as according to radar it was circling.  
“Stay where you are, Sushi.” Gandalf ordered, but even still they began to move from their position, the Sushi Quiver began approaching the other two jaegers, intending to look, before the creature reared out of the water and threw itself at it. 

The pilots, Haldir and Orophin began wrestling with it, while the other two began to move towards it, intending to rip it limb from limb as a group. Over the radio Bilbo could hear the sudden crack as part of the jaeger was damaged.  
“It’s breaching the hull, it’s coming in. Oh god it’s coming into the hull!” Orophin shrieked as they began to flail in their fear of death like this.  
Legolas and Fili both shouted for them to wait a few more seconds, but it was too late, the back of Sushi Quiver’s pod had been ripped off and there was a deafening silence following a single scream from Haldir as he fell into the gears below and Orophin was taken out by the huge tongue of the Kaiju.  
Fili and Kili began to charge up, but Thorin shouted down for them not to risk themselves, instead they ran towards it Kaiju. 

“Hold it! Hold it down!” They shouted, left hand still outstretched, as it fired a laser blast at the throat pouch, blood pouring out of it as it gagged, before the Mirky Green took hold of it from behind, with the knife on the Knifed Drawstring being deployed, hacking open the stomach of the huge beast, until it bellowed a final gasp and collapsed in the arms of the Mirky Green. 

 

When the living pilots returned, Fili and Kili fell into the arms of their uncle, who could just about hold them up.  
“You fight well. How many drops and how many kills so far?” Thorin asked, having not paid attention to the world outside the crack pipe for some time. 

“Twelve drops, seven kills.” They replied in unison. Ghost drifting, Bilbo realised. People that said brothers could communicate telepathically weren’t wrong in this situation, at least. 

Ori and Dori had awoken just as Nori had left, calling in any of his contacts in Hawaii to harvest the Kaiju. 

What was left of Haldir and Orophin were collected from the wreckage and the Sushi Quiver was taken to Oblivion bay.

It was a morose day that followed, with Thorin's mood swings and Dori's shouting at Nori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even more list of races:  
> Haldir & Orophin: Thai  
> Tauriel: Argentinian


	4. Chapter 4

The following day was quiet, almost too quiet. The war clock was reset based on Bilbo and Ori’s calculations. Nori returned with a huge parasite for Ori to study, much to Bilbo’s chagrin, which was why Bilbo decided on having a little nap while Ori dissected the invertebrate, it was almost laughable how Ori was so scared of the violence of Pilots, which was why he didn’t follow Nori’s footsteps, but he was more than willing to cut apart anything from a Kaiju with medical precision.  
He supposed Ori could become a Doctor after this was all over, though the blood might make the Russian think twice.

 

Bilbo walked down his corridor, feet almost silent on the floor as he heard a noise. Was that...faint sobbing? He frowned, following the source of the noise. It was almost inside his room? No, no. He turned, Thorin’s door was open and he was on his bed almost inconsolable, hair tied back out of his face similar to how Kili tied his hair back in a high pony tail.  
He seemed so vulnerable like this, his thin body bent on itself as he quaked with the tears. Bilbo pursed his lips and went into his room, turning on the kettle that had been provided for him, mostly at Gandalf’s request as he knew Bilbo would be grouchy without his morning tea. He made two cups of tea and returned to Thorin’s room, knocking politely on the door. The sniffles stopped instantly and then he heard a faint ‘enter’.

“I ah...Thought you could do with a cup of tea. It’s good for calming your nerves, or something. Today’s been hard on you, hasn’t it?” Bilbo couldn’t look him in the eye, his own still bruised. But his pain was marginalised by Thorin’s suffering. Drugs were worse than anything else that could be inflicted to a person. Bilbo knew first hand, he had turned to drugs after the death of his parents a few years before Fell attacked. Frodo was the reason Bilbo was clean now, though neither would admit it if anyone asked if Bilbo had ever had an addiction.

Thorin made a single noise in his throat and took the tea, just holding it in his hands as Bilbo sat beside him. The pilots at home had missed Thorin, so now he supposed the adoration from Fili and Kili was enough to make him drown.  
Bilbo placed a hand on Thorin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I understand. I’ll keep them away for today. I’m just across the hall if you want anything. Or the in the library. One or the other.” Bilbo said, standing with a small glance, expecting the ex-pilot to say something, anything. But nothing came, he just held onto the cup of tea. Bilbo sighed and walked away, maybe it was in his imagination that he heard a tiny thank you.

 

Kili dashed down the halls, running just for the sake of running. Engineers shouted at him as he dodged them, laughing. He needed to be tested, he wanted to be tested by something. He reached an unfamiliar part of the base, slowing as he saw a woman pass by. She must be part of the staff here, she wasn’t a pilot after all. He jogged over to stand in front of her. She was...Damn. He grinned and winked.

 

“Ever had a pilot?” He asked with a smirk. “The name’s Kili, I guess I’m a bit famous around here. Want to go get a drink?”

“Funny, I thought pilots had to be older than ten year old girls who fight like toddlers.” She said, lips tilting up to match his smirk which quickly dropped as his jaw dropped, unable to find the words to protest what she said. “My name’s Tauriel. I train the Orophorons. So, I don’t want anything to do with a Durinson like you. Besides, if I wanted a pilot I would get one who was at least taller than me.” She added with a snort.

“Oh come on! You’re a very beautiful woman, it doesn’t matter what your allegiance is!” Kili almost whined. Almost.

“Well you should work on your chat up lines before you try and flirt with me, you Kaiju spawn. Or else you'll be put down like a dog.” She said, before brushing past him without a second glance. Kili went bright red and marched back to the training grounds. He needed to train after all.

 

Fili looked up and smirked, he knew that look on his brother. Which meant they were about to spar, because he had no pity for his brother and his silly ponytail. “Loser gets their hair braided by mother for a week when we get back.” Kili said, wanting to humiliate his brother.  
They weren’t afraid to hit each other as they rarely bruised one another, they trusted each other enough. Fili could rarely win when Kili was in a bad mood, but sometimes it worked in his favour. “Bring it on, little brother!” He taunted, picking up one of the provided wooden poles. Kili did the same and they began.  
Each blow was reasonably evenly matched, but an unexpected kick had Fili floored, with Kili bearing down on him, before he wrapped his legs around Kili’s waist, flipping their position so Kili was pinned beneath him, taking both weapons before climbing off of him.  
He knew Kili still needed to blow off some steam, so he instead threw away the weapons and allowed Kili to get up and tackle him until they were rolling on the floor together, avoiding blows as best he could. He let Kili land a few punches on his shoulders and chest, before he got a flash of what was burning inside Kili’s mind and he stopped altogether and pulled him into a crushing hug.

“It’s alright, Kee. It’s alright.”

“No. No it’s not! You’re the popular one, you get all the ladies and all the attention and comments on how good looking you are! I don’t get that, I don’t get anything like that! I’m living in your shadow and I’m called fucking...Fucking Kaiju shit!” He snapped, pushing his lighter haired brother away.

Kili marched until he found himself where his uncle’s room was. He pulled the hair tie out and let his dark locks fall around him as he crept into the room, where his uncle was sat at the desk, apparently oblivious to him. He climbed onto the bed and wiped his tears as he curled into a tight ball.

 

Thorin glanced back, expecting Bilbo but instead seeing his youngest nephew on the bed. His expression softened and he moved to get on the bed with Kili, pulling him into a warm embrace. Kili had always found it tougher, this life. He was sensitive and cared too much about what people said about him when he was trying to genuinely be friendly. The death of Vili hit him hard, as he considered it his fault for getting lost during the neural handshake, which allowed their father to die. He hated himself for it, though nobody blamed him for what happened that resulted in Vili’s death, but Thorin supposed the death of the Sushi Quiver’s pilots didn’t help his mood.

Kili just lay there for a few hours, Thorin had fallen asleep with him when Bilbo came to check up on Thorin. The short man pulled the blanket over the Durinsons, almost unable to tell their dark hair apart. Only difference was the hair texture and silver streaks near Thorin’s scalp. Bilbo simply smiled and shook his head, leaving them to sleep. They both needed it anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably add the ages of the main company  
> fili: 23  
> kili: 21  
> thorin: 43  
> Dís: 45  
> Bilbo: 39  
> Dwalin: 40  
> Balin: 50  
> Ori: 29  
> Nori: 38  
> Dori: 46  
> Bifur: 47  
> Bofur: 39  
> Bombur: 36  
> Gandalf: 70+  
> Galadriel: 57  
> Thranduil: 47  
> Legolas: 26  
> Tauriel: 24


	5. Chapter 5

A few weeks later Gandalf gathered the crews via video camera or in person to the San Francisco shatter dome. They were losing funding. The last 7 intact jaegers and highest ranking pilots would be needed in the regions closest to the breach.

Taskforce members would be cut down to 10 non-crucial members per unit. Many began to leave for construction, only a few people coming from other units to the rebuilding of Maker’s hammer.The smart ones, the ones that would work for free. They realised the world was going to end now, because of the apathy around the world.

 

Elrond’s sons had died defending Sydney from a category four and the last remaining Jaegers were Mirky Green, Knifed Drawstring, Lover’s Comfort, Maker’s Hammer, Lorien’s Grace, Roaming Stallion and Oaky Pipe. Bilbo, Frodo, the ‘Ris, Balin, Dwalin, the Durinsons and the majority of their entire base were relocated to the Busan port’s shatterdome, which was incredibly Nori’s main base of operations.

Bilbo and Ori found themselves being roped into a guided tour of the workshop. The front they used was a fast food shop, apparently. Bilbo, Ori and Nori were greeted by a plump and sweaty man who greeted them with a smile and a wave. He was wearing a chef’s hat, which seemed almost ironic considering that he was in fact one of the higher ups of an international crime ring who could probably kill a man with a butcher’s knife if he needed to.

“Good afternoon Master Nori, Master Ori and...?” The man said, looking at Bilbo with a slight frown.

“Mister Baggins. At your uh, service.” Bilbo supplied. “Good afternoon Master Baggins! I’m Bombur, I won’t bother you with my full name, it’s hard to remember. Hungry? I’ve got some food ready if you’d like. A nice rack of pork ribs. I made it with special seasoning, not Kaiju of course. And it’s honey glazed!” Bombur said, gesturing to the frying rack around him which had fish and various meats. Bilbo was pretty sure one of the steaks were...Incredibly blue, but his eyes didn’t linger too long.

“No, no thank you. Perhaps on the way out I’ll take some food for my nephew, if that’s fine with you.” Bilbo smiled, not really intending on taking any all the same. “You’re welcome to come back any time, bring your ethnic food with you!” Bilbo scowled and muttered a quiet “I’m mixed race.” Under his breath, with Ori tugging him into the back with Nori.

Then they were greeted by a much slimmer man who resembled the chef but was much more cheery looking than the other. “Bofur, at your service Master Nori and companions.” Bofur greeted with a bow, which both Russians returned, as did Bilbo.

“Come right this way, we’ve got the new parts in from the spiders.” Bofur told Nori, who nodded and replied in Korean so neither Bilbo or Ori would understand, Bofur quickly nodded and waved to Bilbo before dashing away into the depths of the workshop. “Goodbye guys, got work to do!” He called behind him. Bilbo decided he liked Bofur far more than he liked Bombur, something about Bofur seemed more familiar or perhaps it was just his whole behaviourisms? More cleanly and less rude, certainly.

They delved further in and a man with...with a Kaiju claw sticking out of his face came up to them and let out a babble of Korean before nodding and signing something before running towards the exit of the workshop. Bilbo’s eyes must have looked like saucers because Nori laughed and shut his jaw for him. 

"It’s rude to stare. He got that hacking off a Kaiju claw singlehandedly. It ain’t hurting him so he kept it in. Looks ferocious don’t he?” Nori teased. “Isn’t that impairing his brain? I mean it could be pressing on something!” Bilbo exclaimed, stepping out of the way as what looked like giant Kaiju testicles were driven past him on a forklift. He looked over at Ori who in turn was starting up at something. Nori laughed and dismissed Bilbo’s comment.

“Nori. Take us up there.” Ori murmured, pointing up at something Bilbo couldn’t quite see. Ori had far better eyesight, but that might be because he was younger and probably didn’t need glasses. Nori squinted but nodded, guiding them up to where Ori was looking. Bilbo knew the look on Ori’s face.

Ori knew something, or was figuring it out, so he stayed quiet and shot Nori a look to say ‘shut up’ as Ori walked into the huge skull of a Kaiju. Bilbo held onto Nori’s coat, stopping him from following his little brother. Ori returned with a frown that rivalled Thorin’s. “It’s got an identical skull structure as three other Jaeger. Not shape but the construct is the same. Nori...Do you have some saved skin? About five different samples from ones no matter what year they’re from, please? Spasibo.” He chewed the inside of his cheek for a second. “Bilbo. We should be getting back. Frodo probably misses you.” Bilbo knew Ori was avoiding something, but didn’t press it.

They allowed Nori to guide them back and then took some meat from Bombur for Frodo, better than any on-base meals at least, a nice pork dumpling stew. Frodo gladly would it eat, having been a fan of anything not standard or bland food from back home, but then that’s because the san francisco shatter dome was rather boring and the catering staff were terrible and served boring food. Frodo had never eaten some things that Bilbo had cherished in his youth, like bubble tea or chilli dogs.

But then they were living in a war, so that was to be expected. Frodo’s eyes lit up brightly, curls bouncing as he ran to Bilbo to hug him and take the food before scurrying off to explore and eat it.

 

They were settling in after having been there a few days. Apparently some old friends of Gandalf were going to arrive Bilbo’s eyebrows probably vanished into his hair line when he saw the man from the wall in Hawaii arrive a few hours after he and Ori returned, even more surprise probably crossed Bilbo’s face so as the huge man’s face lit up when he saw Bilbo. “Little bunny! You’re still here! I was hoping you’d be on base with me, somebody has to look after you, right?” Beorn laughed, patting Bilbo’s shoulder before lifting him up into a crushing hug.

Bilbo could hear the tell tale sound of Frodo’s feet. He glanced down to see his nephew looking up in amazement. “Uncle Bilbo...How can somebody be so tall?” Frodo asked. Beorn looked down and set Bilbo down, kneeling in front of Frodo. “Why, Bunny you didn’t tell me you had a bunny too.” Beorn grinned, lifting Frodo up to place on his shoulders. “Littlest bunny why don’t you show me around?” Beorn asked, with Frodo all but squealing in delight and agreeing to take him around, holding onto the huge man’s braids.

Hearing the reverberating laugh of Gandalf alerted Bilbo to the fact that the Japanese man was here. “Gandalf, please tell me you’re not bringing the Orophorons here, at least. You said friends plural, which means people are still to come.” Bilbo scowled, not liking the fact that Beorn didn’t respect him and considered him tiny. Well...He did look young for his age but that was completely off the point, anyway. That’s more due to his genetics than anything else.

“No, no. I know what Thranduil called you, so I won’t bring him here unless I can help it. I don't like him as much as I like other Taiwanese rangers. I'm still thinking of a battle plan, we need to figure out how to stop the breach completely one way or another. I have a plan as a last ditched attempt, but I still need you and Ori to work on the research, you’re the last of our good researchers.” Gandalf said, offering his pipe to Bilbo, who took it and had a small puff before frowning. “Gandalf you have terrible taste in tobacco, did you know that?” Bilbo said, with Gandalf simply laughing and nodding.

 

A helicopter arrived, a small ratty looking man running off of it followed by two burly Scandinavian men. “Mithrandir! Mithrandir! You won’t believe- I saw a carcass just floating in the sea on my way here! Why are people letting the toxicity spread?” The smaller man seemed in a bit of a panic, but Gandalf simply rolled his eyes and put his pipe into the others mouth, who took a deep puff and then seemed to relax.

“Come Ai’, I’ll show you to your quarters.” Gandalf said, putting an arm around his companion before guiding him away. Bilbo waved to the Scandinavians, who he’d met back when he was a trainee, so at least he wasn’t completely out of his depths. Their names were Oin and Gloin and both were seasoned technicians for jaegers, and would be bringing Maker’s Hammer back to full power.

Weeks passed and the attacks grew in intensity, the last jaegers outside of Asia were all but gone, destroyed by category fours.

 

Bilbo found himself wandering through the corridors once more, it amazed him how oblivious some people were to his presence at times, almost as if he was invisible. That aside, he headed towards where the Jaegers were being kept. He looked over and saw Thorin fixing something with a deadly glare.

Bilbo calmly approached the drama queen and looked down at the bay floor.

Oh.

Dis and Dwalin were kissing.

A little bit too amorously to be in public.

Right in front of the Maker’s Hammer.

Well that would explain why Thorin had a face like somebody had just thoroughly smacked his arse. Bilbo cleared his throat in an attempt to draw Thorin’s attention. The icy eyes glanced over at Bilbo and then he stood a little taller.

 

“Bilbo. What is it that I can do for you?” He asked. Bilbo gladly noted that Thorin was starting to look better, less in withdrawal. There’d only been a few incidents since they’d moved to this base which required Bilbo to offer kind words and reassurance or a cup of tea.

“Just thought you might want to know that Oin and Gloin told me to tell you that the Maker’s Hammer will have enough power to initiate a proper Neural handshake soon. Maybe tomorrow.” Bilbo said, leaning against the railings beside Thorin.

“You know you should be happy about...what’s going on down there. At least you know he won’t fuck her and leave- excuse my Danish.” “I feel betrayed, you wouldn’t understand. My best friend and my sister behind my back.”

“Well...They’re not exactly hiding it from you, Thorin. You’ve just been away for a long time.”

“But they- Vili didn’t die that long ago!” Thorin growled.

“Thorin, you know I thought you would understand. The world’s going to end if we’re unlucky, so surely they can cherish what time they have left. Any of us could die any day now.” Bilbo puffed up, pointing his finger at Thorin. Everybody except Beorn seemed to be dancing around confronting Thorin after finding out about his former addiction.

Thorin smiled and then laughed, holding his stomach as his body racked with laughter. “Bilbo- Oh my god, you’re so funny when you’re angry! Just for that I’ll let Dis and Dwalin be, alright?” Thorin wiped his eye and Bilbo was lost for words.That was the first time he’d heard Thorin laugh ever.

 

Fili and Kili had made up after their fight and Bilbo was starting to get to know Dori, Balin, Dwalin, Dis and their two newly brought out of retirement technicians Oin and Gloin, who apparently helped create the power cores for the first Jaegers. Bilbo ended up discovering that Bofur from Nori’s workshop was in fact Bofur the ex-pilot. He resolved to see Bofur soon, was it to study how he acted?

Maybe. Maybe not. He seemed nice enough and surprisingly friendly for somebody who had the other half of their mind killed in an accident.

Bilbo found himself travelling with Ori to and from Nori’s more often, becoming better friends with Bofur and even Bombur who had learnt not to make comments about Bilbo’s skin after Bifur noticed and let out an angry stream which Bilbo supposed had something to do with respecting other people like he would like to be respected in America.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Tauriel found herself thrown out of Thranduil’s service rather unexpectedly after the Orophorons returned from a patrol in their Jaeger. They’d fought a water spider type, they’d become a lot more frequent as of late, which she supposed was strange. Legolas didn’t speak to her once as she was dismissed, so she found herself travelling to Busan, where Gandalf was. She’d had enough of stuck up pilots for now, some female companions would be more than welcome, seeing as Thranduil effectively refused any women in his service unless they were the best in the applicant pool.

 

She entered the shatter dome and let out a soft sigh, pulling her hair out of the working braid she normally kept it in and then went to see Gandalf, who assigned her to retrain Thorin so he would be fit for action once more. 

 

Tauriel found herself singing in her native tongue for the first time in years, though she was only tidying the room that was her designated living space. People went through the hall around her and she still tidied, sweeping up the mess that was left behind by the previous tenant, or whoever had used this room last. Wistfully she wished that she could dance with somebody, or just be allowed to be a person outside of fight training and work. 

She was unaware of the fact that she was being watched, so when she turned to face the door she let out a startled shout at seeing the youngest Durinson who quickly dropped his smile in favour of a dirty scowl, which was very Thorin-esque. 

“Didn’t realise they allowed nobodies on such an important base.” He spat, turning to leave. 

“Wait, Kili Durinson, right? I’m sorry for what happened before, when you were in Hawaii with me. I didn’t intend to sound so...horrid. Thranduil had me under contract and I viewed you as an attempt to breach and void my contract. He was a very suspicious man, thought that socialising outside of the team meant I was leaving. He threw me out for no reason. Please, let me make it up to you.” She quickly said, taking hold of his wrist. 

Kili looked up, cheeks flushing a little before he glanced away. For a moment he seemed almost unreal, his silly ponytail and tight training gear. 

“Fine. How do you suggest you make it up to me?” Kili asked, brow furrowing. 

“A training battle. One on one, sticks?” She asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail to match Kili’s. 

“Sounds...reasonable to me. Good to have a match that isn’t inside my head constantly.” Kili teased, turning to lead her to the training arena. 

 

Dis, Thorin and Dwalin found themselves being led to the training arena by Fili who seemed rather panicked. It seemed that Kili was training without him with a very talented partner. They’d been fighting for an hour with only a few minutes break every ten minutes or when one was floored. They moved, unable to predict the other, like a cat stalking a mongoose. Kili being the mongoose, since he was so short compared to her, of course. A crowd of the older pilots and engineers were watching already, Beorn with Frodo on his shoulders, Dori, Gloin, Gandalf and Gandalf’s strange friend Radagast. 

 

She struck first and he rolled right, tapping away the end of her pole before kicking out her balance in order to tap her on the cheek with his pole, gently enough to not hurt, but teasing enough for her to know it happened. In return she grabbed his leg and pulled him across the floor, leaving him surprised enough that she could wrest away his stick and tap his sides before smiling and throwing his stick back once he was on his feet.  
Her stance changed as he rushed forward, only to realise that he feigned and wasn’t going to aim for her head, but slide between her legs and tap her ass and then flick her ponytail with the stick. She made a small noise and leapt away before he could land another blow. There seemed to be a rule that they waited for the other to stand before attacking again. He held his stick forward, but backed away onto some of the training equipment so that he was above her, jumping and knocking her to the floor. 

Dis was about to shout at her son for being so god damned rude to the woman, but instead she heard a laugh bubble from the Argentinian who rolled their position and pinned Kili’s hands above his head. In return Kili laughed and let go of his stick and lay beneath her wiggling his brows. She released his hands and climbed off of him so she could put the sticks away. However, she wasn’t expecting Kili to grab her from behind and spin her around, blowing a raspberry on her neck. Tauriel shrieked and flailed her legs, cheeks bright red when she realised that their little match had drawn a small crowd. 

Beorn was the first to start clapping, then Gandalf and Radagast. Eventually everyone was clapping. Tauriel glanced around the room and bowed low. Dis insisted on dragging Kili over, fussing over him and telling him how proud she was. Thorin watched Tauriel.  
She seemed familiar. 

It struck him, much like Bilbo’s fist might if he ever relapsed. 

She worked for the Orophorons in Hawaii. 

Gandalf came to her and patted her shoulder, before guiding her to Thorin. 

“Thorin, this is Tauriel. She will be training you from now until you are fit to pilot the Maker’s Hammer.” Gandalf introduced her, she saluted Thorin quickly and glanced over at Kili. 

“If you betray us to the Orophorons I will have your head. Regardless of my nephew’s infatuation with you. Understand me?” Thorin growled, trying to be as intimidating as possible. Tauriel raised her head higher at Thorin's words. 

“You need me, I don’t care who you are or what your rank. Gandalf invited me here and I will do what he tells me needs doing.” She retorted, turning on her heel before Thorin could say any more. 

Fili calmly followed her out of the training rooms and jogged to keep up with her.  
“You’re awfully skilled, but I think you let Kili get too many hits in. What’s your game?” 

“I want to be able to see what he can do. And I upset him in the past, so I thought this would vent his rage a little.” She shrugged, intending to go to have a long shower. “If you’ll excuse me I need to wash off my old life.” And with that she left Fili behind. 

Fili and Thorin sat opposite each other as they ate dinner, wearing almost identical frowns, while Kili and Dis sat happily a few seats away with Dwalin and Balin, chatting as they ate. Tauriel joined them, freshly showered half way through the meal with a bright smile, sitting on Dis’ other side. The two women chatted easily enough, both enjoying the others company.  
Kili could barely stop looking away from her, before grinning and tapping the table to get her attention. Tauriel frowned and he gestured for her to lean closer and he whispered something to her. They both quickly excused themselves and took their meals elsewhere.  
Dis laughed and elbowed Dwalin before leaning forward and winking at her broody son and brother, both of whom were unimpressed and let out almost identical growls of dissent and then looked at each other in surprise. 

Kili guided Tauriel up to the metal scaffolding of the shatter dome, their trays of food hanging precariously in their laps. 

“You know, when I was growing up on base, me and my brother would come and sit up here all the time, well not here exactly, our base was near Washington. Though we’d sometimes get told off by uncle frerin or our dad would join us and threaten to throw us off if we were rude.” He said, chucklng as he remembered. 

“My brother and I, you mean.” She corrected him, before internally scolding herself. “Sorry. My first language isn’t English, but Thranduil insisted mine would be perfect and every time I corrected somebody else I would be rewarded.” Came her quick apology. 

“You know, my father never taught us his language...Maybe he didn’t know it himself! We never really knew much about our family from the Philippines. I kinda regret not knowing more about him when I had the chance to learn. He was a pilot too, you know. He and uncle Bofur had this big old mark II called Starry Sky. I used to dream about piloting it myself when I was younger.” Kili murmured wistfully. 

“My parents died in the attack by Ongoli, you know the first category two to attack South America? That’s what drove me to be like this, I suppose. In Argentina we were a little...Poor anyway, so I trained hard every single day for four years so I was the best of the best.” She said, shuffling a little closer to him. He put his arm around her and they sat in silence for a while, in remembrance of the parents they’d lost.


	7. Chapter 7

Bilbo was awakened early in the morning by the sound of Thorin moving like an elephant in a room made of loose and bent metal. He rubbed his eyes and opened the door, seeing the tall and graceful Tauriel standing over Thorin who was currently on the ground holding his jaw. Had she hit him? Probably. Thorin needed a good smack, Bilbo decided. 

 

As Thorin lay on the ground, he noticed Bilbo peering out at him from the room opposite. He glanced away and stood up in order to try and continue his tirade against Tauriel. She smacked him again and he fell silent.

“You are going to train. You are needed by Gandalf and I will not tolerate laziness. I want you to drop and do as many push ups as you can until your arms collapse beneath you, then you will take a break for half an hour and then you will run with Kili. If he wins then you have to give him your best apology for disrespecting me and you will have to mean it. I don’t care who you think you are, you cannot come here, have me train you but not respect me.” She ordered. 

Unwillingly, Thorin nodded and did as she said, muscles screaming as he reached seventy-eight before dropping to the floor, unable to move any more. He lasted longer than she expected, so she nodded and bade him goodbye. 

 

Bilbo frowned and came into Thorin’s room once he’d heard Tauriel leave, kneeling beside the shaking man. 

“Oh goodness. You’ve...Really pushed yourself Thorin, honestly it’s not good for you no matter what happened. Here, let me help you into the shower.” Bilbo fretted, helping Thorin to his feet and towards the bathroom. 

“Bilbo, you really don’t need to do this, I’m not a child!” Thorin protested, but allowed Bilbo to guide him towards the shower all the same. His arms screamed at him as he pulled off his tank top, barely able to do so, but he managed it all the same. He just about noticed that Bilbo was looking at him, cheeks flushed a little as his eyes raked over Thorin’s body. He cleared his throat and Bilbo jolted, shaking his head quickly. 

“I’ll uh. Leave you as you are, okay?” Bilbo quickly said, turning to leave in almost a run away from Thorin’s room. Thorin resisted the urge to smirk and went to shower quickly, before dressing and putting his hair up in a ponytail. 

Bilbo was surprisingly waiting for Thorin at the training grounds, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to, as Fili, Dwalin and Balin stood waiting, Bilbo almost looking like he was part of their team, as he wasn’t wearing his normal shirt and jacket but in fact he was wearing the Maker’s Hammer’s crew gear, which just meant he was wearing a light brown pair of pants and white t-shirt, but it still caused something inside Thorin to stir and a small smile to cross his lips. 

When Kili and Tauriel entered however, his smile dropped entirely and he fixed the woman with a glare. In return he received one from Kili. 

“Uncle I would appreciate it if you didn’t look at her like she was responsible for burning your home to the ground. She is a lady and Gandalf’s guest!” Kili snapped, his hair braided today in a similar style to Tauriel’s. 

“She’s about as much of a lady as you are a prince from a lost kingdom.” Thorin snapped, before cracking his neck and looking Kili dead in the eye. 

“First to reach the foot of the maker’s hammer wins. Deal?” Kili said, getting a nod in response. They ran, Thorin taking ahead as he was determined to run, losing Kili in the tunnels behind him, he grinned as he ran, for a moment remembering his and his brother's competitive runs back when he was alive and they were in training. He ran even faster in memory of Frerin, thinking he was going to win. Until his sense of direction hit him and he hit a dead end.   
He cursed loudly and doubled back, running as fast as he could. When he reached the bay, Kili was already smirking at him sat on the foot of the Maker’s Hammer. Thorin swore loudly and kicked the nearest thing, which happened to be a bucket that ricocheted and hit Frodo hard, and the effect was the child promptly burst into tears. Thorin picked up Frodo and shook him, mostly out of frustration. 

“Shut up! Shut up you little brat! Stop crying!” Thorin shouted, scaring the poor boy even more. 

“Thorin Durinson you put him down right this second you absolute fucking oaf!” Came a roar, causing him to quickly put down the child and turn to see who had shouted in such an angry manner, expecting Beorn. Expecting somebody taller, at least. 

The next thing Thorin knew was Bilbo’s fist coming at him faster than a rocket to a Kaiju in hunting season. And then nothing. 

 

Thorin awoke with a groan. Damn researcher had a good fist, it almost felt as if Dwalin, Beorn or a jaeger had hit him, though Thorin knew Beorn hadn’t been there, while Dwalin or Balin’s skin wasn’t the same warm tone as Bilbo’s. Kili sat beside him in the hospital bay with the biggest shit eating smirk he’d ever seen on a human. 

“So, uncle. How are you going to apologise to Tauriel? Letter or public apology? Or shall we just have a man four inches shorter than you knock you out again.” Kili taunted, getting his hair pulled by Thorin in response. 

“It’s not necessary! She doesn’t need an apology from me, I do what’s right for us! Be wary of outsiders!” Thorin growled.

“No, no I will not let you be like this, you need to apologise to her! Properly!” Kili snarled.

“What, because you think you love her? That’s not a real reason, Kili! You’re young and foolish, you know that it’s not necessary to defend her for no reason.” 

“Think I love her? No, I respect her uncle. And unlike you, I can see what’s going on in the world, you’ve been too busy getting high to realise we’re all going to die and probably very very soon!” 

 

For a second Thorin was lost for words, unable to think of a reasonable reply. His mind flitted to Bilbo, how he owed the poor man and Frodo a very big apology, how he wanted to ensure that Bilbo would never be angry with him again, if he was even willing to talk to him right now. He wet his lips with his tongue and then found the courage to speak.

“Tell her I’m sorry. I mean it, okay? Now is a time for people to fix alliances and for people to be happy.”

Kili’s eyes lit up and he grinned, patting his uncle’s arm before dashing off to see Tauriel. Thorin shut his eyes and lay still for a while, before he just about made out the sound of quiet feet coming towards him. Bilbo, his mind supplied. 

He sat up carefully, looking at Bilbo apologetically. His stomach was clawing at his throat and he looked at his hands. They were tough and calloused from working on the wall, certainly too tough to handle an orphaned child who relied on his parents’ cousin. Bilbo probably hated him so much right now. Bilbo, who had done so much for his desolated carcass while he was a lost hope to all. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt Frodo. I...I was angry and wrong to be such a hateful person. I understand if you don’t want to talk to me for hurting Frodo and scaring him and being a spiteful has-been” Thorin mumbled. 

“Oh Thorin, no. Thorin, you’re still recovering from your addiction. Your mood has been swinging so much, have you not noticed? That’s why you’ve been aggressive, that’s why now you’re so low and depressed. I told Frodo you didn’t mean it, that it was your system still flushing it out. I’m not angry at you, I promise. If it makes you feel better, you’re now ready to drift, you’ve let go of your hate.” Bilbo said, taking Thorin’s hand gently in his own. “Knock them dead.”


	8. Chapter 8

Thorin had been suited up, glancing over at Dwalin uneasily as they entered the top of the Maker’s Hammer. 

“God help me if I see you in compromising positions with my sister in the drift. You know I won’t thank you for it, Dwalin.” Thorin grunted as they were put into the machine. He could practically taste the anticipation. 

“Oh please, just don’t latch on to it. I better not see anything of you having sex on the wall or whatever, either.” Dwalin taunted, taking a deep breath as the neural handshake was initiated. 

Dwalin saw flashes of memories, things he’d seen in the past when he and Thorin had drifted, some newer things.   
Cage fighting, Thorin beating his opponent to a bloody pulp for some money to buy drugs. Thorin’s first high. Working on the wall and pushing a man to near-death after he had made a comment about Fili and Kili’s latest fight being awful. The things he did for money while high. Dwalin frowned and looked at Thorin.  
He had no idea it’d been that bad for the ex-pilot. But his mind was less strained now, that was what was important, surely? So many unpleasant memories. And then Thorin’s memories seemed to swim into focus around Bilbo and the days that followed. 

“Really Thorin? Really? I’m surprised in your taste of lover.” Dwalin teased. 

“He’s not my lover!” Came the retort. 

Thorin gained images, stronger than his own memories which were drug addled. The standard drift memories from before as well as things he hadn’t noticed before. The way Dis looked at Dwalin the day he’d left. Dwalin and Dis on a date. Dwalin teaching Kili how best to engage a nice woman in conversation. Fili and Dwalin having arm wrestling matches late at night after dinner. Normal things, really. Normal things that Thorin used to do with the boys before he’d been tossed aside. And then Dwalin and Dis doing...things. The glimpse of an engagement ring hidden away where Dwalin would get it if they were to survive this all.   
Thorin didn’t need to verbalise this, Dwalin knew Dis was listening over the radio anyway. He gave Dwalin a small confirmation and blessing to the engagement in their neural language. They’d developed it after a 10 hour patrol of little importance. They could sometimes verbalise what the words were or sign it using hand gestures they’d agreed on, but really it was mostly brain language. 

“We’ll make it out alive. Just for that.” Thorin murmured, gaining an appreciative nod from Dwalin. 

Finally they both felt ready to move their old jaeger. And they did. First the left arm, gaining a cheer from the main room. Somebody, probably Kili, shouted for them to twirl for the teams. Thorin and Dwalin simultaneously raised their right hand to stick the Maker’s Hammer’s middle finger up at Kili, getting a loud guffaw in response. They too laughed, moving the limbs slowly so they could get used to it. They’d soon be fit to go out and fight. Honestly, neither could wait to be out there, for the adrenaline to surge through their bones. 

But for a moment something changed. Thorin fell down the rabbit hole. The memory of hitting Bilbo, the depression and despair he felt in that second dug its claws into his stomach, his heart and lungs. 

“Thorin! Thorin you’re out so much. Uncle, get back into the now!” Fili shouted through, but the memories flickered and there was Frerin being ripped apart in his jaeger. It started as a whisper on his lips, a barely audible noise, but the noise in his head grew and he screamed his dead brother's name, begging and shouting.  
The back of the head of Maker’s Hammer opened and he felt Dwalin fall out of alignment. Chasing his own rabbit, as far as Thorin knew. They were being taken offline and both slumped as soon as it was done. And they promptly both passed out to the sounds of sirens wailing. 

 

“Thorin...Thorin please wake up.”

“I’m wide awake my peculiar guardian.” Thorin murmured. He was 100% sure he was dreaming.

Somebody was speaking to him, but his mind felt too fried to move right now. A few more minutes sleep wouldn’t hurt.

“Tell Bilbo to come and see me later, he should know the truth.” He decided, before promptly falling asleep again.

 

“Thorin you stupid oaf open your eyes!” The voice snapped some time later.  
That certainly got him awake, he rubbed his eyes slowly, seeing a dark shape hovering over him. One more rub and the shape turned into Bilbo.

“You passed out for a few hours...well five hours, though I think you woke up briefly two hours ago at one point. Fili and Kili had a patrol and ah. Kili was hurt really badly, they don’t know if his leg will be saved. It was a spider-type with newt-like qualities and it damaged their pod. Fili’s fine, just shaken.” Bilbo gently informed him, pressing down on his chest when he moved to see Kili. 

Fili shut his eyes and it replayed in his mind over and over. The acid on the stinger that stabbed Kili in the thigh. The way it had reared out of the sea and pounced upon them like that, tail smacking them in the chest and trying to knock them off balance. He gritted his teeth and tried to push away the thoughts, so similar to their father’s death, the way that it left Kili vulnerable.   
Blue eyes flashing with missiles entering it at the unbound rage that pumped through Fili’s veins when Kili screamed. Fili was almost single handedly piloting, Kili’s mind simply taking the strain as Fili fought valiantly to save his little brother. 

He shook his head, looking up to see Tauriel clinging to Kili’s hand, praying quietly in her native tongue for him. Fili sat beside her and they leant against one another over the one they held most dear. 

Thorin joined them eventually, after having held a sobbing Dis who was blaming him for getting them into this life, even though she knew it wasn’t true in any aspect. Dwalin woke up and took over trying to calm the distraught woman, murmuring gently into her ear in his strange native language, speaking that language which seemed so similar to Bantu Swahili but was still its own individual, of course Thorin knew it intrinsically because Dwalin did. It seemed to calm her at least, so Thorin signed to Dwalin that he was going to see Kili. 

 

Thorin wrapped an arm around Fili resting their heads together gently. They needed each other and Kili needed them. Tauriel was still there, but her head rested beside Kili as she slept, Fili had moved his brother’s arm to hold onto her. “He really loves her.” Fili murmured. Thorin simply nodded. He’d been back for five weeks and could already see that there was more than puppy love. Not that his admiration of Bilbo had anything to do with it, of course it didn’t. 

 

When Thorin went to bed that night he was met by Bilbo who asked if he could come into Thorin’s room. He nodded, but frowned. Why was Bilbo here? He only came in when Thorin was in a bad state. His heart thudded in his ears and Bilbo sat at the chair, while Thorin sat on the bed. 

“Earlier, when you were between being passed out and aware... you said something, about telling me something?” Bilbo pulled out his tobacco, rolling up a quick cigarette. 

Thorin’s cheeks flooded with red as he tried to remember what he’d said. 

“I didn’t know I had said anything, but I would like to ah... Date you. If you were open to the idea, if that's along the lines of what I said. If it was not, the offer still stands.” Thorin slowly sounded out the words, so foreign sounding in his mouth. Bilbo turned a peculiar tone, very much like dark chocolate. Thorin nearly laughed at his expression though. 

“I-I! Well, of course! I thought you knew?” Bilbo spluttered, very much flustered, almost dropping his cigarette. 

“I didn’t know! I thought you just pitied me.” Thorin huffed, before reaching his hand out to Bilbo. Bilbo stood up and took Thorin’s hand in his own softer one and sat beside him, offering him a drag of the cigarette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the ever so stereotypical "half asleep vague confession" trope


	9. Chapter 9

Kili’s mind finally came back three days later with a gasp. His once brown eyes were dyed kaiju blue. He couldn’t walk on his leg for some time, meaning that he couldn’t pilot the Knifed Drawstring. He was moved into non-pilot quarters, no longer sharing space with his brother.   
Fili never left his room for the week following, only allowing Dis in with food for him. He was desolate, certain the world was going to end now that his brother wouldn’t be a pilot again.

The attacks were becoming two a week, more and more kept dying. The walls kept breaking around the pacific defence regions. Fili had vanished off base, but Bilbo had found him with Bofur and Nori. They understood him better than Thorin did when it came to the pain of being unable to pilot a jaeger, so Bilbo kept quiet about his whereabouts other than to Dis who promised not to tell anyone.   
Gandalf probably already knew, but that’s not the point because Gandalf always knows. 

Thorin, Tauriel and Bilbo became somewhat of a team, Bilbo encouraging Thorin, Thorin fighting better and better every day, Tauriel helping Kili with Physiotherapy when Thorin was out in the Maker’s Hammer. Dwalin and Dis were thick as thieves, Ori helping teach Kili things so he could help in the control room instead of sitting around doing nothing. He was getting quite good at it too, he knew how to perfectly specify what is a very powerful Kaiju, and its weak points around the body. He knew the biology of Kaiju inside and out, thanks to Ori’s tutelage. 

Bilbo had been dozing when there was activity in the breach. Thorin and Dwalin were assigned to go out, to see it along with two other Jaegers. The breach’s dilation was huge. It hadn’t been this big in years. Bilbo knew what it was, Gandalf knew what it was. Everyone knew it was a triple event. 

 

Thorin and Dwalin were suited up, about to go in for the drop. Bilbo came to see him, which was unusual. Dis wasn’t there, she knew if they were to die then at least she shouldn’t be there with a look on her face that knew it could happen.   
“Thorin, I want you to please be careful out there. If...If you die then I want you to at least know –“ Bilbo began, before being cut off by Thorin shaking his head.   
“I promise I won’t die, Dwalin won’t let me die. Just stay by the microphone so I can hear your voice.” Thorin insisted, cupping Bilbo’s cheek with his hand. “Don’t worry, I promise I will be fine.” Thorin reassured him, planting a kiss to Bilbo’s forehead. He nodded weakly and left Thorin to be attached to the machine, wiping his eyes as he did so. 

 

They were all category fours. One was huge, white-blue and akin to a sea lion, but with huge knifelike claws where flippers should have been. Its skin was covered in scratches and in scars yet seemed thicker than whale blubber. It was the biggest category four they’d seen, almost big enough to be a five. With it was a smaller swordfish like kaiju, which was two legged and had rows of spikes around the neck. The third seemed like a smaller imitation of the first. They were codenamed Azog, WeissWarg and Bolg. 

The teams dropped consisted of Thorin and Dwalin in the Maker’s Hammer, Eomer and Eowyn from Russia in their Golden Jaeger called the Roaming Stallion and unfortunately the Orophorons in the Mirky Green. 

The three faced down the other team of three. Golden, Blue and Green versus White, Grey and pale Blue. 

“Alcoholic communists, take the middle. Waster Americans take Bolg. We’ll take Azog.” Thranduil’s voice came through, but all of the other pilots began a disagreement with him before Gandalf instructed them that they had to work as a team, in the Bark position. They took up position, feet held fast as they waited, silently weighing up their enemies. 

“I want Eomer and Eowyn to feign attack. When the Kaiju leap forward I want Thorin and Dwalin to blast off the back legs. It’s been calculated that the legs will be the weakest points. Thranduil, Legolas you will be covering them, give out a plasma charge should they get too close.” Gandalf instructed. All agreed and the Russian siblings feigned preparing a shot.   
WeissWarg surged forward and the Maker’s Hammer was upon it in moments, lifting it up out of the water with a groan. The bones could be heard shattering as they crushed and stabbed at it with the weapons on the fists, roaring in rage as it began to die, they then snapped off the main swords from its face and dropped it into the water, whereupon Roaming Stallion shot it to pieces. 

The two that faced down the Jaegers bellowed and the smaller one ran forward first, being intercepted by the Mirky Green, which wrestled with it, hitting it with their primary missiles fired from the palms, before grabbing onto it to throw into the sea away a little bit, closer to Azog.  
The Roaming Stallion ran forwards, kicking it with a resounding roar from the creature before grabbing it by the tail to throw it at the Maker’s Hammer, which was still holding onto the sword points, thoroughly skewering it onto the blades, before repeatedly pulling it out to stab Bolg with one holding it up at a time.   
The creature swiped at the head of Maker’s Hammer in an attempt to rip it off, but found that Roaming Stallion had hold of its arms while the Mirky Green faced down Azog, aiming for the eyes with their rockets as Bolg’s arms were ripped off after the Maker’s Hammer cut at the tendons using the knifepoint and it was thrown into the sea with a final shot as the death rattle shook the Kaiju’s entire body. 

Finally they faced down Azog. 

Thranduil and Legolas released their barrage of projectiles, causing it to rear up and come towards them, while Eomer and Eowyn called out their sword and began to hack at its enormous tail which was thrashing around as it moved towards Mirky Green. Thorin and Dwalin began to charge up their plasma cannons, marching forwards. Azog threw itself around, smacking the Roaming Stallion back with its tail before knocking it over, trying to gouge out the pilots with its huge claws. Eomer and Eowyn screamed with the effort of hitting it in the face, with Ori babbling to them in Russian to try and reassure them that they were going to be completely fine.

The Maker’s Hammer grabbed the Kaiju, firing into its back repeatedly until it left the Russian siblings alone, when it turned and grabbed onto them, bellowing loudly as it began to pound into the metal work of the Maker’s Hammer. 

Dwalin swore loudly and they headbutted it, but Azog would not let go. Instead it unfurled row upon row of flippers all across its body, dragging them under the water. With single minded focus they began to fire into its chest, scratching and clawing at it with the fists of their Jaeger. Anything to make it release them. Dwalin growled, he thought they weren’t going to make it. Somebody was shouting to them from the base over the radio, but they couldn’t hear it outside of their own focus, hitting, kicking, doing everything possible to fight- to kill Azog.   
They had to kill or be killed.   
It sounded like Dis was screaming at them, wailing. He wasn’t sure. Dwalin made a small noise, flashes of memories involving Dis going through their minds, her smile was what Dwalin dwelt on most. Thorin shut his eyes.

“Focus Dwalin. We can do this. For those back home. For Erebor.” 

“For Erebor. I love you Dis, this...This is for you.” Dwalin said, pressing the communication buttons. A soft reply came through and they threw themselves back into battle with vigour, using everything they had until finally, finally the Mirky Green grabbed Azog by the tail and hauled the Kaiju from the water blowing a hole in its chest, letting Dwalin and Thorin recover, before the Roaming Steed came from the water and beheaded Azog. 

 

When they returned to base, Dwalin ran to Dis and held her tight, her eyes were red from all the tears, but Dwalin held her close, speaking quietly in her ear after the initial kiss. He ignored the people trying to take off his suit, unwilling to let her go right now. 

 

Thorin allowed his suit to be taken off, managing to change clothes and did any post diagnostics that he needed to, before a certain curly haired man appeared, half smoked cigarette hanging from his lips. Thorin plucked the cigarette away and smiled, resting his forehead to Bilbo’s. They stood there embracing for a few minutes.

“Did you think I was going to die?” He asked quietly, getting a deliberate shake of the head to indicate no. Thorin smiled, kissing the mass of curly hair atop Bilbo’s head. “Dwalin did. He thought we were goners. Glad you had faith in me- in us, at least.” 

“I knew you wouldn’t let yourself die. Too prideful.” Bilbo mumbled in response, getting a throaty laugh from Thorin. 

“Let’s get something to eat. I need to sleep.” Thorin suggested, which Bilbo easily complied with. They went hand in hand to the cafeteria, Bilbo getting toast while Thorin had a whole meal. Thorin’s facial expressions would change now and then, even letting out a small laugh when nobody was talking. Eventually Bilbo must have looked too confused. 

“Ghost drift. Dis is telling him off for taking such risks and he’s acting like Kili did aged ten.” Thorin quickly explained, before he finished his meal. 

Once they were done they walked hand in hand back towards their rooms. As Bilbo was about to go into his own room and bid Thorin goodnight, Thorin stopped and tugged him towards his room. 

“Just share my bed tonight? Not sex or anything. I mean uh, if you want to I wouldn’t complain, but I would just like to sleep beside you. That’s all.” Thorin quickly said, glancing away with flushed cheeks. Bilbo smiled and quickly nodded, following Thorin. He removed his top layer of clothes, so he was just in his boxers, since his normal sleepwear was in his own room.

“I um. I don’t have anything to sleep in, I don’t want to get cold...” Bilbo started, wholly embarrassed at being what he considered effectively nude in front of the pilot.   
Thorin laughed, giving Bilbo one of his t-shirts with a wink. “I’m going to have a quick shower. Jaegers are dirty work. If you really want you can go and get your own clothes, or join me in the shower. Whatever you want.” 

Bilbo stammered out a quick excuse and picked up his clothes, still wearing Thorin’s t-shirt as he scampered into his own room to get on what he deemed proper night attire. Thorin headed into the shower, coming out fifteen minutes later to find Bilbo sat on his bed fidgeting with one of Thorin’s souvenirs from the world. This one was from Erebor.   
Thorin knew it, it was one of their many common cheap gems, which had been inscribed in the language he and Dwalin created in their minds. It said “Amnas” which meant Loyalty. It was one of the few things they’d thought about, and Thorin had carved it when Fili had joined up to be a trainee. 

“It’s beautiful.” Bilbo murmured, looking up at Thorin. His cheeks reddened when he saw Thorin just wearing a pair of jogging bottoms and being soaking wet, towel slung over his shoulders. Thorin simply laughed at Bilbo's reaction, shaking his head. He grabbed a hairband and sat down beside Bilbo, placing a hand over Bilbo’s hands holding the stone. 

“It’s the only thing I have right now that’s left of home. I’ve not been there since...Since Smaug came and went and I joined up. When this is over you and Frodo are welcome to come back there with me.” Thorin murmured. Bilbo looked up at him in surprise, leaning over to kiss his cheek gently. 

“Well...Frodo and I have a home, we’re from an important family in the Shire. Us Baggins are very well thought of. You’re welcome at bag end.” Bilbo quickly replied, puffing up with pride at his home. 

“Bag end?” Thorin raised a brow, rubbing his hair dry with the towel he’d brought from the bathroom before putting it in a quick braid.

“Oh yes, it’s rather old. My father upgraded it from being a pre-depression building and brought it into more current times, it’s got rooms enough for your whole family if they needed a place to stay.” Bilbo chortled. 

“It sounds nice. Maybe being away from Erebor would be a good idea. Only time can tell. Anyway. Shall we try and get some rest before one of us drops dead of exhaustion?” He asked, getting a laugh and gentle smack in return as Bilbo wiggled to lie under the covers with Thorin joining him promptly. Bilbo leant forward and kissed his lips gently and they settled to sleep with high hopes for the future.


	10. Chapter 10

Fili found it easy to adjust to living with Bofur and Nori. Bofur was like an uncle to him though not as close as Thorin, but able to remember everything that Vili had seen.  
Fili found himself asking Bofur about the Philippines, having never been with his father or ever having met his Filipino family, while he didn’t look as Filipino as his brother due to having blonde hair, it was still his ancestry that he wasn’t aware of. He found himself learning about a supposed curse that his father joked the Durinsons had, that the gods had cursed them with exceptionally hard heads so that if they were dropped on them, they’d survive any fall, even out of a Jaeger. 

He found himself looking up to Bofur and Nori in more ways than he could imagine, they gave him knives to train with should he want to stay in their business and be able to fight well with real weapons. Fili would show off his throwing knife abilities to Nori when a client was there and causing trouble, earning him plenty of tales about Frerin too.  
Apparently Frerin looked and acted a lot like Fili at the same age, all gusto and charm and teasing. That put Fili more at ease about himself, knowing he wasn’t the odd one out, his mother may have had a few freckles but that didn’t explain the blondeness. He’d not known Frerin other than childhood memories so he had created an image in his head that looked vaguely like Thorin and his mother with the same dark hair, but Nori’s knowledge made him reconstruct the face in his mind. 

At night, he would sit and have dinner with Bifur, Bofur, Bombur and Nori around a small table with lots of banter and some knife games, Nori usually winning against everyone except Bofur, who could only be beaten by Fili. He found himself in their strange little family, but very much comfortable.  
He still missed Kili, sleep sometimes giving him flickers of Kili’s day, much like a ghost drift. Bofur noticed that Fili would sometimes mumble something to Kili about something Tauriel said, only to realise Kili wasn’t there. 

 

When Fili was helping oversee a transaction as the “hired muscle” he got a glance from Bofur who commented something he was certain wasn’t Korean or English and then a little frown and shake of the head, with another mumble that sounded like an excuse for something. Later after they were done, Bofur came to Fili with an apologetic look. 

“Look, I had a moment earlier...Well, you and I. We’re both ghost drifting right? I’m constantly ghost drifting, I don’t feel anything he feels but all his memories are there whenever I need them. I looked at you and I spoke to him by accident. You’re not him, don’t go making yourself into him, okay Fili? You’re as much a hero as he was. He was so proud of you, but don’t become him based on our stories. He had his faults too, just like you do lad. Be you, not a story.” Bofur told him in earnest, unable to meet the younger man’s eye.  
Fili nodded, patting Bofur on the shoulder. He needed some time alone, that was for certain.

“If Bilbo comes, tell him I’m doing some book keeping.” Fili quickly said, heading up into the rooftop area. He climbed out of the skylight and sat for a while, looking up at the stars. 

He took a deep breath, the wind blowing through his long hair. The night was surprisingly quiet for once, only the rumbling of cars and motorbikes interrupted the calm that washed over Fili. He’d not sat and looked at the stars in so long without the fear of being told off or being back from a fight.

“Nice night, isn’t it moy drug?” Nori cheerfully said, taking Fili by surprise completely. 

“Nori! You nearly scared me to death, I was ready to jump in a Jaeger and fight you singlehandedly!” Fili exclaimed, hand over his heart, getting a loud laugh from said Russian. 

“Yes, yes, I’m sure you would.” Nori waved his hand and laughed. “You are enjoying the night air, eh ranger?” 

Fili shrugged, breathing in the air deeply all the same. “It’s not clean but it’s still nice air.” Fili murmured. 

“You’re thinking of returning to the base, aren’t you? You miss your brother. I know the feeling. I miss Dori and Ori every day when I’m not with them, you’re allowed to go back whenever you want. You’re an adult so you know what you want, right?” Nori said, patting Fili’s shoulder. 

Admittedly he had thought about going home every now and then, he’d been there two weeks and was already homesick.

“I just...Being here makes me feel like I’m getting to know my family better, the family that died. You never saw Erebor directly and I never remembered it, but you have seen it through uncle Frerin, Bofur’s seen it through my dad. I just...being here makes me feel like I know more about my other family.” He admitted, looking up a little guiltily at Nori who simply shrugged. 

“Well...Have you tried just asking your ma and uncle about them? I’m sure they can describe them as they saw. I’m sure your ma knows about your family in the Philippines, surely?” Nori suggested. 

“I’ve...Never actually thought about that. I’ve been so absorbed in uncle’s vendetta and the honour of being a pilot and Kili that I didn’t ask her about him...I figured she’d want not to talk about him because of the grief?” 

“Now that’s just dumb, boy. When you go back you sit and talk with her. Alright? Are you going to go now or just chill with us illegal lads a little longer?”

“I’ll leave in the morning. Sound good? I’ll finish off the ledger and leave.”

“Ah, you’re so dutiful, Fili.” Nori teased, elbowing him gently. 

 

In the morning after Fili had left, Bofur sat beside Nori with a little huff.

“Dorogoi, something is troubling you?” Nori asked, putting an arm around his lieutenant. 

“Do you think...Well, Fili kept ghost drifting, like I do. Do you think mine will ever stop? I can’t feel anything like a normal ghost drift, just feel and sense things as I see the memories flow through my mind.” Bofur confided. “I want it to stop. I can feel his limbs being wrecked now and then.” 

“I was lucky enough not to feel my partner die in the drift, but I promise we’ll figure it out. Me and you together. And your brother and cousin too if we really have to. If not we can eat at our problems like Bombur does!” Nori joked, butting their heads together carefully before they went back to work.

 

It was early in the morning when Fili knocked on Kili’s door, pushing it open before he got an answer. The sight that greeted him was certainly...unexpected. Much like his journey, it seems. He’d left at 5am and gotten on base by 6am, had a second breakfast and went to go let Kili know he was there with a nice brotherly beat down before showing off his new knives, except clearly that wouldn’t be the case as his younger brother was literally balls deep in Argentinian. 

Kili shouted and threw a pillow at Fili, having been caught in a rather compromising position with Tauriel who was completely mortified and shrieked, covering herself with the blanket. 

Fili laughed, throwing the pillow back to Kili, shutting the door on his way out with a call of “use a condom!” 

Next he went to try and find Uncle Thorin, who was still in bed it seemed. But hopefully not having sex. He crept into the room to find Thorin entwined with a smaller dark figure. Bilbo. He simply smiled and shook his head, going to find Frodo who he knew would be awake. Frodo would appreciate his nice new knives!

 

He found Frodo in the library eating an apple rather loudly. Fili placed a hand on either shoulder and leant in with a “boo!” causing the boy to nearly drop his apple in shock. The bright blue eyes were wide with shock, though he quickly grinned upon seeing Fili. 

“Cousin FIli!” Frodo cheered, putting down his apple to try and tackle the Pilot, who caught him and lifted him in the air with a big grin. He most decidedly adored Frodo, who always had time for him, though he wasn’t sure where the cousin bit came from, but he didn’t mind it. 

“Little Frodo! Kill any Kaiju while I was gone on holiday with uncle Nori?” Fili asked, picking up the apple to eat the core, getting a groan from Frodo who had wanted to finish the core himself apparently, earning him a tug on one of his braids. 

“I killed thirty! Ori let me draw them for him, and then Cousin Kili told me what category they were.” Frodo said, rather proud of himself.

“Well that’s a new record! Better than me or Uncle Thorin and Uncle Dwalin!” Fili said, planting Frodo down on the desk. “Now, do you want to see something cool? It’s a secret, you can tell my ma.” He received a quick eager nod. 

He suspiciously glanced around and pulled out a Kaiju bone blade. Frodo’s eyes went huge and he ran his finger along the smooth part of the blade.

“Is it cool? This came from Fell, you know the one that attacked in winter a few years back at the shire, are you old enough to remember it?” Fili asked as he continued to admire the blade, with Frodo snatching his hand away almost instantly. “What’s wrong? It can’t hurt you, it’s only a bone, Frodo.” 

“I came to live with Uncle Bilbo because of Fell.” Frodo replied quietly, with Fili deflating like a balloon. 

“Oh Frodo, I’m sorry. I lost my dad to a Kaiju too. I know how you feel.” Fili apologised, picking Frodo back up. “How about we go and find Beorn? I hear he found some honey for your second breakfast.” 

“Honey?” Frodo asked, getting a dramatic nod in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought a nice Fili centric chapter would do us all a favour after the devastating blow from seeing the trailer today. 
> 
> Nori's russian:  
> Moy drug: my friend  
> Dorogoi: darling
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/2066022 Check out this wonderful side fic too, if you squint it can fit into canon for this and it's so so soooo well written! (better written than this fic oops)


	11. Chapter 11

Bilbo had been passing the sensor room when he saw it. 

A small blinking light. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to it. He couldn’t remember what it meant, but he entered, looking at the reading. He ripped the graph out as soon as it printed, eyes wide as he ran to Ori, waving it in the Russians face. He swore very loudly and they ran to Gandalf, hearts pounding in their ears. 

“It’s a category six, it didn’t come out of the breach! It’s category six! It’s huge Gandalf, huge! It came from the arctic!” Bilbo shouted. 

Radagast rambled quickly, hands flapping as he took in the information, saying how it wasn’t possible, how it should have come out of the breach and nowhere else. Gandalf’s brow furrowed and then he looked at the readings, wizened face draining of blood. He stood and grabbed the nearest person.

“Dori, patch me through to Taiwan. I need to speak with Her.” He shouted, full of cold fear. “Bilbo, get the Pilots. All of them. Even Nori and Bofur we need everyone. Get the company here right now! It’s Smaug.” 

Bilbo nodded and ran, blood freezing in his veins. Ori went to gather his brother and Bofur, with Bifur and Bombur coming too, they had knowledge of Kaiju anatomy that some could only dream of. Thorin was roused the second he heard Smaug, with Dwalin, Kili, Tauriel, Fili and Dis close at his heels. Gloin, Oin, Beorn, Balin and Dori came charging through when word of a category 6 spread. 

 

Gandalf was chattering loudly in Japanese to one of the most beautiful women that Bilbo had ever seen. Her hair fell perfectly from her head and her small red lips were framed by small dimples, if Bilbo were feeling vaguely racist he would compare her to some kind of Chinese princess. They were in some sort of argument about a Jaeger. Gandalf seemed to be insisting that a Jaeger be used with the woman disagreeing. 

Gandalf went quiet for a moment and the air grew still. She could taste that the world was about to be changed. He needed her. What should not have been forgotten, was. What should have been destroyed had been left to linger in the dark recesses of ice and coldness.  
“You promised me you would come when I needed you. I need you now. What would your grandfather say if he heard you refusing this?”  
He knew how to strike a nerve with her, they had grown up together though he had been older and worked more as a friend than anything else back home in Valinor. She looked back into the camera feed and nodded once before the men around her scrambled to work, to bring her Jaeger to life. Lorien’s Grace would once more fight for humankind. She just hoped this wouldn’t all end in flames and death as many thought it might.

The Maker’s Hammer, Roaming Stallion, Lover’s Comfort, Mirky Green and Lorien’s Grace were rallied within hours. Bilbo clung to Thorin, who slipped the stone from Erebor into Bilbo’s hand, closing the darker palm around the gleaming stone. 

“I’ll come back for this.” He promised, unable to meet Bilbo’s eyes. If he died, then Bilbo would be desolated and so would his nephews and sister and even poor little Frodo.

“No Thorin. You’re coming back for this.” Bilbo said, taking Thorin’s hand in his free one to place over his chest, over his heart. Thorin faltered and then leant in to kiss him gently. 

“I’ll be back for you. I...I l-“ Thorin began to speak, but found himself cut off by Bilbo’s hand over his mouth. 

“If you say it and die then I might as well be dead too. Don’t. I know you do, you know I do too. But don’t say it just yet.” Bilbo mumbled, eyes welling up with tears. Thorin knew Bilbo wasn’t one for dramatics or tears, but the way he sniffed and tried to keep his composure...Well, Thorin knew he was trying his hardest not to crack.

“If I don’t make it then just remember all that happened. The good and the bad. The ones that don’t make it. Remember me, don’t let me fade.”

“I promise I won’t. I’ll make sure everyone knows.”

Dwalin and Thorin had no idea who the pilots of Lover’s Comfort or Lorien’s Grace were. He’d heard of Bard and Lenja, the Pilots of Lover’s Comfort who were highly skilled with the record for projectile kills, but Lorien’s Grace? He had no idea, Dwalin had no idea.  
Bilbo probably did, but that’s not the point because Bilbo was technically a Pilot groupie because he was dating Thorin so of course he’d know the pilots. 

They were dropped 700 miles off the coast of Erebor, Thorin knew if he looked he could see Lonel, but for now he wanted revenge. Dwalin could taste the desire for revenge. And the need to be able to return home to the ones they loved. Dis had screamed and shouted and threatened to kill Dwalin if he’d gone on the mission, but he had to do this. It was right, for everyone that died in the last attack from this foul monster. 

They greeted the Roaming Stallion over the inter-com, getting a vaguely optimistic reply from the blonde siblings. Lorien’s Grace didn’t reply. Lover’s Comfort replied after a while, apparently having been lost in the drift.

 

“Is this the Maker’s Hammer with Thorin ‘Oakenshield’ Durinson and Dwalin Fundinwgyo?” The male voice, Bard asked. 

“Yes, and you are Bard and Lenja Bowerman? I’m a fan of your projectiles. I think you’d do well fighting something as wretched as the wurm. Mister Gandalf should give us the strategy soon.” Dwalin replied for both of them, knowing Thorin wouldn't be so willing to speak. 

“Well he’d better hurry up, the people in the control rooms are driving me mad.” Lenja replied, before they stopped talking to Dwalin and Thorin. 

They tried to get hold of Gandalf in the control room, but all they had was Bofur and Nori, the two most qualified there when it came to strategy, other than Gandalf. Thorin was getting angry as they patrolled, hating that Gandalf wasn’t there. Smaug was going to rise out of the sea at any moment. 

Oaky Pipe’s pilots spoke, Beorn and an old man named mister Radagast, both Gandalf’s friends. Thorin didn’t particularly like Beorn, but Frodo and Bilbo seemed to, so he had to be pleasant enough to him to avoid Frodo’s stern disapproval of anything being said ill of the bear-like man. 

“Thorin, you better survive this. For the little bunnies.” Came Beorn’s deep rumbling voice, it annoyed Thorin a little that this man thought it appropriate to tell him to live for Bilbo and Frodo. He intended on doing that anyway! “And you Dwalin, for the boys and Dis.”

“That’s what we plan on doing, they’re the ones we love most after all. Don’t you have anyone to live for, Beorn?” Dwalin asked, since Thorin was really not in the mood to talk, too gripped by the boiling rage towards the giant Kaiju. He was going to kill it, he was going to make it pay for all it had done to Erebor and Lonel. 

“No, I haven’t got anyone any more. Radagast knows what I mean. I live for other people and for nature now. The one I held dear loved animals too.” Beorn’s voice sounded so pained over the intercom.

“We fight for them. For their memories.” Thorin replied, hoping it would rally the man into wanting to fight. 

Finally, Lorien’s Grace spoke. A woman, the woman Gandalf had been speaking to began to command all of the Jaegers into position. Projectiles first, then try to detach limbs as best as they could, absolutely do not leave a team at risk, there were enough of them and all seasoned pilots, they knew how this worked.

Her voice was enchanting, nobody dared argue, not even Thranduil. A deep laugh rumbled over the intercom and the woman clicked her tongue.

“Mithrandir wants Aiwendil to stop bothering Beorn.” She explained after the vague confused silence. 

Eomer spoke first.  
“Who under sky is Mithrandir?”

“That would be me, your ever beloved commander.” Gandalf’s voice came through. 

“Gandalf! Why are you piloting? We need you to be guiding us from the control room.” Thorin growled. The woman was about to speak but was cut off by Gandalf’s laugh. 

“Well, I’m your best hope, or rather Galadriel and I are your best chance to come out alive and return to base.” Gandalf reprimanded, before he could say more, however there was a blip on their radar.

“Gandalf he’s coming. North by north east.” Bofur’s voice cut through, deadly silence followed as they began to prepare for the fight which would determine their fates. 

Thorin and Dwalin looked at one another, grim expressions set as they prepared their projectiles for the second the beast would rear from the sea it would be barraged. The radar dinged as it got closer. 

“Fall into position, circle the beast and then we wait. When we have the chance, release everything we have. Is that understood?” Galadriel ordered, getting a chorus of “Yes ma’am” from the pilots.

Thranduil and Legolas were the first to open fire as a huge colossal purple body emerged from the depths. Their first shot hit it in the eye, causing a roar of rage.  
In that second the spell was broken and projectiles were shot from every Jaeger. The beast flailed, huge tail moving to hit Mirky Green out of balance. Oaky Pipe hacked at the tail which began coming their way. They successfully carved off a huge chunk of Smaug’s flesh on the tail exposing the bone, making the Kaiju scream. 

“Bard, Lenja our analysis suggests that the weakness is on the left side of the creature’s chest. I need you to try and make a dent in the flesh. The rest of you continue to weaken it as best you can, limit casualties and take Wurm down.” Bofur informed them, getting affirmatives as Lover’s Comfort began to close in on the weak spot. 

Smaug leapt at Roaming Stallion, jaws closing around the left arm as it began to tear through the chest metal with the hook-like talons. Within moments Maker’s Hammer was upon it, pummelling the side to try and save Eomer and Eowyn. Smaug let go of the Roaming Stallion, finding itself being riddled with holes in the tough hide from the missiles launched out of the fists of Maker’s Hammer.  
Smaug tried to bite down on Maker's Hammer, but Roaming Stallion punched upwards with all their force with the spear part of their Jaeger, creating a hole on the left side of its chest before being thrown away by the icy beast. The blue blood splattered over their right leg, leaving them barely able to move from the acidic blood content.  
Maker’s Hammer was tossed aside by a huge clawed hand, falling into the sea with a groan and a grunt. Something in their Jaeger was damaged. It was the communication and radar, they were trapped in radio silence as the fighting continued outside.  
They righted themselves and watched as a plasmid from Lover’s Comfort get the creature in the chest, causing it to convulse. Oaky Pipe hacked off the tail and the blue blood splattered over their Jaeger while the Mirky Green took pleasure in removing the claws of its right leg. 

For a moment all was still, until it screamed. It truly screamed, erupting back into life. It jumped forward, taking hold of Lorien’s Grace, a deadly fury burning deep in its eyes. With what looked like deadly calm, Gandalf and Galadriel activated something that Thorin had only heard whispers of having existed in Mark I prototypes. 

It was Thorondor, the huge wings of Lorien’s Grace spread and it backed away from Smaug, lifting into the air as if an angel, Glamdring protocol initiated.  
A sword-like rod of plutonium which when deployed would spark a nuclear reaction within the Kaiju. A coldness spread through Thorin and Dwalin. They turned, they knew they had to get away, as did everyone else. They couldn’t hear the communication so they instead of trying to get help took hold of Roaming Stallion, helping them flee. Neither were fast, but they got away far enough that their Jaegers’ radiation shielding would work properly. 

Glamdring was thrust into the mouth of Smaug, the reaction was instant, the whole body was blown to pieces, Gandalf and Galadriel were most likely dead, incinerated in the blast, along with most of the surrounding water which forced the Jaegers even further away. Dwalin and Thorin collapsed out after a few more hundred kilometres of dragging Roaming Stallion with its broken arm and damaged leg, the last thing they saw was the port of Erebor. 

 

Thorin awoke with a gasp, breath ragged and sharp. Beside him, he could hear lots of people talking, moving around and arguing.  
What happened? Last he remembered was Glamdring protocol. He felt blood on his nose and cold in his limbs. Where was he? It smelt like hospital.  
His eyes focused and he was proven right. He was in a hospital. But this wasn’t a base hospital. This was a real hospital for normal people. Turning his head ever so slightly he could see Dwalin lying beside him. How long had they drifted for? Had it been safe after Glamdring protocol? He wasn’t sure, but opposite him lay Eowyn, opposite Dwalin, Eomer. He let out a small breath through his nose and made a noise.

“Thorin?” Eomer called out, voice sounding harsh and ragged. Probably from screaming. 

“I’m awake. I’m alright. Where are we? What happened after Dwalin and I collapsed?” Thorin murmured, moving to sit with a slight hiss of pain. 

“You dragged us to Erebor after Smaug nearly killed us. Eowyn’s arm and left side of her body are all but shattered as a result of the Wurm tearing off our Jaeger’s arm. You placed us on land and then carried Dwalin out, he was completely out of it. I think you solo drifted, one of your pupils looked a bit shot. You placed Dwalin down and forced your way into our pod, helping me get Eowyn out. Then I passed out as the ambulances arrived.” Eomer explained, ragged blonde hair looking terrible from all the sweat and grime. 

“What happened to the others? Bard, Lenja? Did they get out of proximity to Glamdring? We just about made it out of the kill zone. I know the Orophorons did, but that’s because I hate them so they had to have survived. What about Beorn and that Radagast man?” Thorin’s brow furrowed. Was that Fili he could hear shouting in the background? 

“I think half of Lover’s Comfort was damaged, not sure which half and I’m not sure if they survived. You lost contact during the fight but we didn’t, they told us to flee long before the protocol was initiated. Did you see that they had the...the” Eomer dissolved into a coughing fit, harsh wet hacking coughs. Thorin knew blood would be coming up in the coughs. 

“They had the Thorondor activated. I didn’t think it real, honestly. But this...This showed that it did come into existence. I didn’t know Gandalf had been a pilot, but I suppose it makes sense.” Thorin took a moment to swallow the weight that had formed.  
Gandalf was dead, as was Galadriel. That meant the oldest person in the programme to command them was Balin. They had no hope left. 

They sat in silence, watching each other. After a few minutes, Eowyn let out a whimper and her heart monitor began racing. The nurses came in, with a certain duo close behind. Fili and Kili almost threw themselves at Thorin, Kili hobbling a little still. Thorin smiled, arms closing around his nephews. 

“Uncle, is Dwalin going to wake up? Ma was screaming and shouting and threatening to kill you before we got here. So was Bilbo, but minus the drama and love for Dwalin.” Fili supplied, eyes lingering on the man who would one day be his step-father, not that he knew it yet. 

“He should do, yes. How do I look? Like hell? I sure feel like it.” Thorin commented weakly. Kili was watching him. Those Kaiju Blue eyes put him on edge whenever he saw them, but that didn’t matter. 

“Uncle. Your left pupil is bigger than the right. How long were you drifting for?” Kili asked, voice low so the Russian pilots behind them couldn’t hear. 

“Seven hours. I think, and apparently I went solo for a while when Dwalin passed out.” He confessed. Kili’s face darkened and he took a look at what tests had been done to Thorin. 

“You need a brain scan uncle. Right away. What if there’s things you can’t do any more? If we don’t test we won’t know. You saved millions of lives, you need a scan.” Kili insisted, hobbling away to get the nurses.

 

Bilbo was terrified. He’d watched what had happened, when he couldn’t hear Thorin he feared the worst. He’d been smoking like a house all day and was very much irritable regardless.

When the pilots returned, Thorin wasn’t with them. Dis began shouting, screaming at Beorn to tell her where Dwalin was. There was only one answer.

Erebor.  
Fili and Kili were sent, they were the most level headed after all.  
Bilbo and Dis came hours later once Beorn was looking recovered and looking after Frodo. 

Dis threw herself to Dwalin, sobbing. He still hadn’t awoken, but brain scans were completely clear of new damage. 

Bilbo calmly sat beside Thorin, taking his hand gently to place the stone back in Thorin’s hand. “You promised you’d survive. Here we are, surviving even now. When you went quiet I was sure you were dead. I was ready to give up, certain you were gone.” He confessed. Thorin took Bilbo’s hand, pressing a kiss to his palm before holding on tightly. 

“I wouldn’t go away. You wouldn’t have thought when we first met that I would like you, I tried to kill you. Throw you off a wall, but that doesn’t matter now. You’re so dear to me. Will you allow me to make it real now?” Thorin asked, getting a tiny nod from Bilbo. “I love you, so much Bilbo. So much.”

“I love you too, Thorin. I’m glad you came back to me, now get some rest.”


	12. Chapter 12

For a week Thorin was in Erebor hospital, getting vague updates about the state of the other pilots. 

Of course the Orophorons were fine, but they’d asked for Tauriel to come back to them and to leave her half breed behind. Of course she refused and put Kili’s arm around her shoulder as they left. 

One of the Bowermans were dead but Thorin knew not which, only that their children were devastated as was the surviving one. That upset him somewhat, because couples with children shouldn’t both be pilots or they’d make more orphans and no child deserved no family to look after them. But then Thorin was biased because of Frodo being so endearing. 

Eomer was able to walk around and train again, doing press ups on the floor with Thorin when the nurses weren’t around and sit ups with Dwalin whenever they were able. Eowyn wasn’t improving, her arm was apparently shattered from the attack and the pain was unbearable because of the neural load that came with having a robotic arm torn off of the Jaeger. Tauriel would come by and try to help Eowyn now and then with the healing physio, as Erebor charged a lot for physiotherapy while Tauriel charged nothing other than smiles and progress. 

 

Eventually, Thorin was able to leave the hospital with Dwalin and Eomer, taking up shelter in the Erebor shatter dome as their Jaegers were being fixed. There were no attacks and it was scaring them, truthfully. The war clock had to be reset multiple times whenever the attack didn’t come. Bofur was in charge and that was highly unexpected for everyone except Nori. Bofur was going about it very well, and surprisingly was partnering up pilots to see if they would be drift compatible, with Jaegers being repaired at incredible rates. 

Fili was paired up with Eomer, to spar together and see if they’d be drift compatible. Both were highly dubious about the likelihood, but went along with it all the same. They found themselves training in Erebor. When Fili would feign left, Eomer would feign right and they’d find themselves at a draw.   
Bofur was certain they’d be a good match, so they kept at it until they were certain they were drift compatible. Eventually they agreed that Knifed Drawstring would be safer as the restoration had been going on longer than it had on Roaming Stallion. 

They were inside the Knifed Drawstring, ready to initiate the neural handshake.

“Anything I need to know before we go in? Is there anything at all?” Eomer asked. Fili shook his head, nothing too devastating would be there, after all. 

“Just standard pilot memories, and Kili’s too.” He shrugged, shutting his eyes in preparation as Balin counted down.

“Alright, well then of course you’ll have my sister’s memories as well as my own. Try not to do the scare and fall into the RABIT about Smaug, this should be easy enough.” Eomer replied coolly, Russian accent slipping through.

The countdown reached zero and it was initiated, both of them gritting their teeth as the memories flowed. It was working, Bofur was right about this. Their elder sibling mentalities made them match up in that sense, as well as their loyalty to their family and cause meant they were a good match, considering all other things.

Fili saw white horses galloping through his memories, blurring what was Eomer and Eowyn’s in his mind. Some were distinctly Eowyn’s, of course but others were incredibly hard to tell, the blonde and the Russian and the familiar home he’d never visited. It was almost bitter sweet, if he’d actually known the place himself. A cousin, an uncle and a family that was plagued by the uncle’s friend who touched Eowyn too long and had his hand removed by Eomer at the wrist.

Eomer saw Fili and Kili’s memories, flowing easily through his mind. Mostly it seemed to be pranks to him, pranks, laughter and then misery bubbling through their mouths like bile once every now and then when it went unchecked. Eomer finally understood everything about Fili, the whole bravado was a deep cover for the truth. He looked up in surprise but Fili shook his head, the drift communicating all he needed to say. Eomer simply nodded and they were almost as one in thought alone, a perfect understanding of one another in that moment. 

Fili nodded, and so did Eomer and then they raised their hands, falling into a fighting stance they were both comfortable in. Yes, this would do very nicely for them both. 

 

In the control room, Kili watched with a heavy heart. He’d now lose his link to his brother through the drift forever, since he would never get the chance to pilot again. Bofur looked over at Kili and put an arm around the young man, he was still in his prime compared to his uncle and Dwalin, yet he wouldn’t get the chance to be in his Jaeger again, tainted with Kaiju in his eyes, making his vision weaker than it had been and his bad leg, also blue where the injury lay. It upset him, but not enough to have been sensed through his former ghost drift. 

“It’s okay, I understand what you’re feeling Kili. Don’t worry, you won’t be left behind. Your brother is still your brother. My brother was just the same when I became a pilot, Bifur was the same too after he got the claw in his face, though you can probably identify with him better since you’re both Kaiju injured. He barely even speaks my language anymore, so you won’t get much out of him, but feel free to try and talk to him.” Bofur said, giving him a little squeeze. 

Kili nodded, limping away on his crutch towards the ferocious looking Bifur who had been sat in the dark corner of the control room. He sat down beside him, listening to the strange rambling.   
It wasn’t in English, it didn’t even sound Korean or...Or even human. Kili furrowed his brow, the words making a shape in his mind, the shape of the rift between time and space, the breach. In that second he gasped, as did Bifur. He understood perfectly, blue eyes gleaming in the slight gloom.   
Bifur began shouting, waving his arms in surprise and delight, Kili licked his lips, sounding out a word in response, which actually seemed to make sense to them both. If Kili had better eyesight he would have seen the slight blue inside Bifur’s eyes and around the claw tip. 

Bifur gestured quickly, getting a nod and noise in return from Kili. Bofur was watching them with a frown, thinking that Kili must be making fun of his poor brain damaged cousin, but the more he watched and listened, the more he realised they were actually conversing. Bifur eagerly grabbed Kili’s arm and tugged him over to Bofur, gesturing wildly. 

“I dare say you’ve got him all in a fluster, Kee.” Bofur’s brows were beyond his hairline at this point, probably lost inside his silly hat. Bifur snarled and slapped his hand, making Bofur recoil a little, but Kili just laughed a little. 

“Bifur says it’s about time somebody knew what he was on about, because we could have closed the breach months ago if you’d paid attention.” Kili said, leaning on the older man. “See because he and I have tiny bits of Kaiju inside us, he’s been speaking a kind of...Kaiju brain speak. I understand it, because I’ve got Kaiju blood in me! “ 

Bofur looked fit to pass out, but simply nodded, expecting more from the young man and his cousin. On queue Bifur punched his fist and garbled loudly.

“Bifur says the reason we can’t go in is because it needs a ah...A Kaiju to go in with the weapon. Preferably freshly killed or half alive. It should collapse the tunnel between worlds, no more Kaiju attacks. No more deaths.”

Bofur’s eyes grew huge in his head as Kili could see the cogs turning inside Bofur’s head. 

“Get me Balin, Oin, Gloin, Nori and your mother hen- Dori, that’s the one. We need to get nuclear experts ready and see if anyone has a trapped living Kaiju.” Bofur quickly ordered Ori, who nodded and squeaked as he bustled into action getting the assorted group together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the short chapter and the delay, been busy and such. I hope to wrap up the fic soon!


	13. Chapter 13

The sun rose over Erebor, filling Thorin’s eyes with the painful light as he and Dwalin were training. Their stint in hospital meant that some of their muscles were weakened, especially for Dwalin as he wasn’t allowed to leave his bed whenever Dis was around, she was very forthcoming about how angry she was that they’d nearly killed themselves and that Gandalf and Galadriel had passed. He knew Bilbo would wake up soon and shower, but kept training anyway. He would join the little scientist in the shower when he had the chance, hopefully. After ten more minutes Dwalin knew he was getting twitchy. 

“Go on, join your little boyfriend.” Dwalin teased, getting up with a slight grunt from where he’d been doing press-ups. Thorin winked and gestured to Dis who had been watching Dwalin with a certain hunger that Thorin recognised, but certainly not on his normally placid sister. 

 

He slipped away back to the room that he and Bilbo took residence in, hearing the shower already running. He smiled, shrugging out of the training gear. He stank, but that’s what the shower was for. He peered through the door and could see Bilbo washing the mass of curls on his head. A small smile crossed Thorin’s lips and he stepped into the shower behind Bilbo, pressing a small kiss to a faintly freckled shoulder. 

“Thorin! I thought you were training still, I was going to bring you breakfast. But I guess there’s no need since you smell like a dead Kaiju.” Bilbo rotated their position so that Thorin was under the direct spray of water, shampooing Thorin’s hair for him, so then at least he wouldn’t take too much time to get clean. Thorin was clean rather quickly, with Bilbo expecting to be done, but it seemed Thorin had other ideas.  
Not that Bilbo had a problem with it once there were lips all over his torso.

 

The corpse of Smaug was harvested by Nori at breakneck speeds as soon as the nuclear fallout wasn’t too much of a risk for his workers who honestly just wanted the money, not having any regard for their lives as long as they could afford to pay for their families to be moved into the safety zones. 

Parts of Lorien’s Grace were recovered, but no bodies. They were probably washed up on a lonely beach somewhere, which was disappointing as there were now two empty tombs for the marshals, two of the finest the world had ever know. They would be mourned, for the lady Galadriel had plenty of family, including marshal Elrond who was formally in charge of the pan pacific defence corps now that Mithrandir Gandalf and Galadriel Feanoran were gone. It was either Elrond or Aiwendil Radagast, and we all know Elrond is more together mentally than Radagast. 

The funeral was sombre, they were given graves at Okinawa, as Gandalf’s last will and testimony had asked, Galadriel’s family respecting her desire to be with Gandalf, having known him since she was a very young child. It turns out that Gandalf was in fact 88, which was unexpected as he always seemed so full of energy and unending youth.  
Everyone who had importance within the PPDC were there, a young woman who Bilbo supposed must be Arwen Undomiel, daughter of Elrond was at the front, speaking of the courage that her grandmother showed in the face of death, how it was the same courage that flowed through her brothers’ veins and how it flowed through every member of the defence corps, how they would keep protecting the world should Kaiju come.  
She then lapsed into Japanese, speaking about how the rivers of the mountains would transport their souls across the world, to a grey haven where they would finally be at peace with their beloveds. 

Frodo was tearful, keeping on a brave face as he stood between Beorn and Radagast, neither of which had offered to speak up, they couldn’t speak from the overwhelming grief. Both had known Gandalf well in their lives, especially Radagast, who was on nickname terms with Gandalf. Apparently they had grown up together and been childhood friends. At one point he began to snivel and wipe at his eyes, with Frodo offering a handkerchief to Aiwendil. Needless to say he didn’t get it back from all the tears that the man shed. Beorn kept a hand on Frodo’s shoulder, protecting him from anything unknown. 

Even the Orophorons were there, the younger one, Legolas looking particularly drawn from the grief, glancing over at Kili and Tauriel now and then as he had an arm around the woman who had her face buried into his shoulder. Bilbo let out a small sigh as he realised what it meant. Legolas had been in love with Tauriel and Thranduil had thrown her out for it.  
Gloin, Oin, a woman and a boy stood together. Well, he was hardly a boy, sporting a fine beard similar to his father’s in colour, though with his mother’s skin tone he was certainly interesting to look at. Bilbo supposed if he put Gimli beside Dwalin they could be a team of red and blue with dark skin together. It was reassuring to see more mixed people like himself around, since everyone else seemed so solid in their races, with barely any Scandinavian-mixed like himself about. Gimli, however was watching Legolas with a slight curiousity but nothing more, as he quickly turned his attention when the Taiwanese man's eyes almost met his own.

Behind him, he could hear the Urs and Ris together, as a strange little family, but Fili and Kili were with them too, which was a little reassuring. Bifur kept his constant stream under his breath, with Kili stifling a laugh now and then. Thorin’s face was stony beside Bilbo, as was Dis on his other side.  
God save Bilbo from these Durinsons and their strangeness. Then again he was just as strange and could be classed as a Durinson soon enough if he married Thorin. Not that he was thinking about it at a time like this, heavens no. But still. 

 

The return journey from the funeral wasn’t allowed to be sombre, as Kili, Bifur and Ori sat together with Gimli pretending he wasn’t fascinated. Ori was marking out the breach according to Bifur’s blathering which were translated by Kili with ease. Kili’s eyes glowed bluer every day, as did Bifur’s. It was unsettling, but necessary for them to develop their unconscious link to the Kaiju plane of thought. 

They’d discovered the hive mind with ease. It turned out a man named Faramir had a trapped category one named Gollum deep underground in a bunker. Ori, Balin, Bilbo and Nori were sent to retrieve it, but Frodo insisted on joining his uncle, to which Balin heartily agreed. It’d do him some good for science, or some nonsense. 

 

Begrudgingly Bilbo brought Frodo on the helicopter to the gorge that the Kaiju was being kept in. Once they saw it, Frodo’s eyes went huge. Bilbo didn’t know if it was fear or pity, but this was their ticket to safety, or so he hoped and prayed every night before he went to sleep.  
As the helicopter landed, Nori placed a hand on Ori to reassure him, but this just seemed to be causing the Russian more tension. Ori was about to come face to face with a Kaiju, as was Frodo. They were greeted by Faramir’s men, saying that their boss was with the beast. 

They weren’t allowed to look too hard or to touch anything, but Bilbo couldn’t help noticing there were pieces of Jaeger and Kaiju around the building and that some of them looked like ex-rangers. It put him on edge, drawing Frodo closer to his side as they continued to walk together. Eventually they reached a grand flight of stairs and at the bottom was the beast.

It was gaunt, drawn and small. Frodo let out a small noise in response. The creature had huge gangly legs, but some had been cut off from what he could see. It was a mangled beast, scared but still ferocious from what Bilbo could see. It put him on edge, hand shaking a little as they got closer. Frodo’s knuckles were white from how hard he was holding onto Bilbo’s jacket.  
Faramir greeted them with a gesture to the pathetic Kaiju, which made a small noise in its throat, eyes fixed on Bilbo and Frodo. 

“Mister Faramir, so glad to see you outside of my bone yard! I’m sure we can come to an agreement on the trade for this category one. Since you care not about the glory as much as your brother did, god rest his soul and all.” Nori came forward, taking Faramir’s hand to shake. Something in Nori’s voice was a little intimidating, but Balin kept smiling and patting Frodo’s shoulder reassuringly. 

“I was wondering how long it’d take for you to get onto the topic of trade. I would have thought you have enough money to buy the specimen from me. Unless you’re here on ‘official business’ in which case of course you’re only going to trade.” Faramir was sharp. Too sharp, Bilbo decided. “Ah, these are scientists. Of course, it’s all falling into place. Somebody close to you in the defence corps? That one, the wheaten one is your brother?” 

“Right you are, but it’s my dorogoi- my Bofur’s the one in charge of it all. He wants me to handle the illegal gaining of parts like I always have, so he can be the big hero with no illegalities that he personally committed. You know Bofur, nice guy. Korean. Got the really fucking fat brother. You know the one. Now, don’t be bringing little Ori into this. He’s here to help figure out how we can send this creature back to hell and stop more coming.” Nori’s tone turned icy, with him tapping the handle of his gun.  
Faramir quickly nodded, lips tightening. “Come into my office, master Nori.” 

Balin, Ori, Bilbo and Frodo were left looking up at the skinny creature, it was surprising that it’d even lived this long. But it had been declawed, made toothless and had all weaponry removed. Balin made a small noise in his throat. 

“It’s disgusting. They should have killed this poor creature long ago.” Balin muttered, shaking his head before cursing in his native tongue. Bilbo wasn’t sure what language it was, since he’d never even been to Somalia, let alone anywhere else in Africa.  
Frodo made a small noise and stepped closer. 

“Frodo, be careful. I don’t want you to be hurt by it.” Bilbo quickly scolded, guiding him back away from the great monster. 

“It’s talking. Can’t you hear it? It’s whispering to us, whispering about the fish it used to eat. He likes them raw. He likes it when the food puts up a fight.” Frodo mumbled. Bilbo quickly lifted him up, searching the boy’s face for some kind of tell-tale that he was making it up. There was none. 

“How do you know this?” Bilbo asked quietly, changing his language into Danish, knowing Frodo still remembered Danish from home. 

“ I listened to Bifur and Kili. I listened to Bifur more and he taught me.” Frodo quickly replied, looking everywhere but at Bilbo, who put him down and covered his ears quickly. 

“God fucking damn those fucking Durinsons and their fucking shitty smarts!” He shouted, getting a startled look from Balin and Ori, Balin because of his loyalty to Thorin and Dis, Ori because he’d never heard Bilbo shout or swear with such boiling rage.  
Frodo looked up in horror once the hands were removed from his ears. A throat was cleared behind him and he jumped a little. 

“Mister Bilbo, what is the matter?” Nori asked, giving him a look as if to say ‘lie in front of these people.’

“Frodo was taught by Kili what it means when...” He drew out the when, looking down at the boy. “When Thorin and I are being intimate.” He quickly lied. Nobody believed him, but that wouldn’t matter, Nori had all the power here so nobody would call him out on it. 

They returned to the helicopter and left. Bilbo took out his research notepad and wrote down what had really happened, with Balin looking ready to faint. Nori and Ori looked at each other but said nothing.

 

They had other things to deal with, preparations to be made.


	14. Chapter 14

The final base move, with a month of funding left was a painful one.   
The different groups left Erebor and Busan and moved to Taiwan in small groups, the Jaegers going first, then rangers, then the non crucial members and then finally the injured and families of rangers and team members. Fili and Tauriel didn’t like being left without Kili, but they had to. He had Eowyn, Frodo and Dis after all, right? Not that Bilbo was pleased about having to leave Frodo behind, but he was needed on base for preparations for closing the breach. 

Eomer and Fili sat tensely as they waited for their siblings, jaws clenched and legs bouncing up and down in their seats. Tauriel was setting up the room for Kili to rest, since he’d have to stand on the ferry over, Bilbo was standing nearby surrounded by cigarette butts. Nobody complained, of course because he was very irritable about the fact his nephew wasn’t with him already. 

Frodo was more like a son to him, even though they were a strange miss-mashed family. Bilbo had been thirty six when he’d adopted the boy, only three years old when his parents had been killed. Now they were here, at the end of the world. Bilbo had been strange, even before Fell had attacked but at least he and Frodo knew how to live with one another in their strangeness. 

Thorin had given up trying to make Bilbo be calm about Frodo being away, after he and Bilbo had a shouting match about how Bilbo didn’t need to worry because Frodo was completely safe with Dis, but Bilbo wouldn’t take it and just got himself even angrier. It ended with Thorin having to sleep in Fili’s room for two nights until they’d forgiven each other for the argument. Of course it ended with Bilbo’s throat being scattered with love-bites and Thorin very satisfied but ruffled looking. 

The ferry came in, with Fili and Eomer jumping up at once to run over and help people off of the ferry patiently. They could wait for their siblings, no problem. 

Kili and Eowyn limped down together like some kind of three legged beast. They hated being forced to stay behind, it absolutely gnawed at their nerves being kept away from what they wanted to do, where they wanted to be. Kili was almost completely healed thanks to Tauriel, but he insisted on working with Eowyn still. While Fili and Eomer were close as Thorin and Dwalin, Kili and Eowyn were like brother and sister. Frodo was close to Eowyn’s left side, protecting her injuries with his body so she wouldn’t be jostled by the people rushing off the boat. 

Bilbo ran forward and scooped Frodo into his arms, chattering quickly in Danish, probably asking how the journey was and if Frodo saw anything amazing on his journey. 

Kili was quickly escorted away to rest by Dis, while Fili and Eomer guided Eowyn away to her own room, despite her protests of being completely fine to walk without their help. It was strange how they’d become a family through this and would probably still be after whatever would come for them, be it death or glory. 

 

Ori never considered himself brave, always relying on Bilbo or Nori to speak up for him at meetings and such, but here he was staring down the Kaiju Gollum. He’d only heard rumours about it, when he’d seen it he wanted to hide behind his older brother much like he’d done back home in Moscow when the other children had taunted them about Dori being so effeminate, with Nori breaking their noses with chain knuckle dusters once the taunts became aimed at Ori once he was a teen. 

He didn’t consider himself brave as he hacked off a chunk of the creature’s tongue. He didn’t consider himself brave as he dissected Kaiju organ upon Kaiju organ to discover why Bifur could understand the language from a claw. But when at a meeting he spoke up, standing at the table, he felt all the confidence he’d been lacking bubble within his chest. 

“I think we should create a ring. A ring to go around its neck, made out of the same materials as the elephant’s foot had been. We’ll force it to go nuclear by remote, a pilot forcing it down into the breach. Once it’s in...Boom!” He smacked his hands on the desk, ensuring that they were giving him undivided attention.   
Bilbo looked flabbergasted, Nori looked delighted, as did Bofur. Oin and Gloin looked at each other, uncertain if it would be possible in such a short amount of time to create a weapon like that and if it would even work. Nori began to clap, causing Ori to flush in surprise at the applause. 

He was sat down with Oin and Gloin, relying on him to know how the device would go onto and into the Kaiju, as he was the expert. It made him feel confident for the first time in years, which was certainly a rush and a half. They were figuring out how they would kill the breach with a big enough explosion. They decided on three bombs within the ring, each the size of the Tsar bomb. That would be enough, they decided.  
Ori felt like he was useful, much like Bilbo was useful. It really did make him more proud. He would drink with the Russian pilots and Durinsons, with much cheering from Nori when he performed an old drinking song from the days when their grandfather was working against the KGB. Ori supposed they were the resistance, the last of the world’s defences against the oncoming death.

Nori’s men would be digging through scraps of metal now and then, whenever Ori visited his Taiwan base of operations. Nori just patted his little brother on the back and told him not to worry about what his brother was doing. That wasn’t reassuring at all. Bofur was hiding something from them all, but Ori couldn’t figure out what. Bilbo told him he was being silly, but he knew in his heart something was happening. 

 

Nori and Bofur lay together, watching the sky. Fili was somewhere nearby watching the heavens too, but they were in enough seclusion for it to be just them together. 

“Do you think it’ll work?” Nori asked quietly, glancing over at the marshal. Bofur took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. He did this when he was figuring out how best to answer things. 

“I...I think it will. The ladies will be a fine match and they won’t hold back when we need them. And well, you know how it is. We both do, so it should be fine. We have Elrond and we have Balin, it can’t fail. Not this time.” Bofur murmured, rolling over to face Nori, who was chewing the inside of his cheek. 

“I’m not ready. We have pilots that hate each other, that aren’t ready to die if they have to.” Nori confessed quietly. They didn’t want to alert anyone to their plans. They had days to prepare. Nobody knew what the next event would hold in store for them, but Bofur was determined to be ready. Nothing scared him. 

“I know how it feels to die, it doesn’t hurt Nori. Not like a seizure might. Why do you think I’m so calm? It’s like I’m already dead inside my mind. It doesn’t scare me, I’m ready for whatever will come for us. I’m just determined for us to survive this. Bombur’s wife, his kids. I don’t want them to die. They have a lot to live for back in Busan. You have a lot to live for, when this is over you will be one of the richest men alive.” Bofur told him in earnest, patting his shoulder gently. “I wish you all the luck in the world for when we survive this.” 

“Bofur don’t you say that to me. You make it sound like you won’t survive this. Don’t you dare. You’re not joining Vili and Frerin yet. Not if I can help it.” Nori growled, pulling out a knife. “Promise me, Bofur. You promise me you’re not going to pass like Gandalf.” 

Bofur held his hands up, pursing his lips. “I won’t, okay? I won’t. Calm down, Fili’s coming over.” 

As if on cue, Fili dropped down beside them. 

“Evening gents. When do you think Eomer and I will next be sent out?” He asked, golden hair blowing in the wind. Bofur and Nori’s chests ached in that second, he was so much like his father and uncle in that moment. A calm smile spread across Bofur’s face. 

“Not to worry boy-o. Next time the breach is active you’ll be sent out to kill what comes out and to force down what goes in.”Bofur smiled, reaching over to ruffle the blonde mane. Fili laughed and leant away from the offending hand, heading down to tell Eomer the plan. 

“When this is over, will you reconsider what I said when we first met?” Nori asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Only for you, only ever for you Nori.” Came the quiet reply after a few moments.

“Thank you, Bo. You’re my best friend.”

 

Bilbo was hard at work still, pressing ever on with Ori’s research being written up. He began to teach Frodo how to do advanced calculations, taking his mind off of the beastly Gollum. It was working, Frodo was a fast learner and always had been, so Ori was glad to have him around to do simple calculations for him based on cell growth. Now and then Frodo would mumble something in Danish about how cruel they were to Kaiju, but Bilbo would ignore it as best he could. There wasn’t much else he could do about it, honestly. All they could do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll keep Bofur and Nori's secret for now, you need to guess. 
> 
> And when Ori says elephant's foot he means the nuclear core in chernobyl


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Features implied sexual content and a panic attack. chill guys, chill.

Kili was angry. Very angry. Tauriel had been ignoring him in favour of paying attention to Arwen, she hadn’t even come to bed until he was already asleep.   
What did that Australian have that he didn’t? She was a married woman! She didn’t even need to be in Taiwan she should just go home to her husband, why was Tauriel giving her the attention? Fili and Eomer were always together, always training. Eomer knew Fili’s secret and that wasn’t fair, he should just tell Bofur right now. Though Bofur was a seasoned ranger and now marshal and probably knew the signs anyway. 

But Kili wasn’t that spiteful, he never had been so spiteful as to want everyone to know the secret. His ma didn’t know, his uncle might have known, but that wasn’t the point. The point was he was disgusted at himself for thinking about revealing the secret that he’d been keeping since their third drift. He wasn’t afflicted by the same issue, but he shouldn’t have thought about telling anyone. 

He limped towards the cafeteria, he didn’t need crutches or anything of the sort any more, but the limp would always be there, as would the blues that greeted him in the morning. It scared him, to think there was venom living and beating through his body and that it had changed his features already. But having blue eyes didn’t have total faults, as now he looked more like his uncle and mother. Just before he reached the cafeteria he heard a noise, brow furrowing.   
Another and his stomach dropped. 

Fili. 

He ran down the corridor, adrenaline numbing the pain from his leg. Only once before had Fili publicly collapsed as a result of the condition and that had been right after a violent, awful fight that gave Kili nightmares for weeks after. 

There, slumped in the corner was Fili. His hands were over his head, curled in a tiny ball as he struggled for breath with each shake of his body, Kili looked around as he knelt over his brother, whispering quietly to him. If anyone had come through in that second they would have thought it should have been Kili sobbing on the floor, not Fili, but they weren’t coming and Kili needed to be the strong brother for once. 

He gathered Fili as best he could in his arms, helping lift him up so that they could go to his quarters and calm him. Nobody had to know this. Nobody. Nobody was allowed to know the cause of Fili’s shaking hands now and then, or why he would be a little disoriented from time to time. It was all post traumatic stress disorder. All of it. Fili may not have had the hundred yard stare but it was real enough. 

They made it almost completely back, but Thorin happened to be there. Shit. Shitting fuck dicks crap. 

“Nephews. What is the meaning of this?” Thorin’s voice reverberated inside their bones as it always had done, but Kili bared his teeth and bit back a snarl as he defended his brother from prying eyes. Thorin met the snarl with a glare, but put his arm around Fili to lift him, grunting a little with strain. 

“Take him to his room.” Kili muttered, trying not to shake with anger at Thorin disrespecting their privacy somewhat.   
Thorin dutifully did so, but then everything outside of doing Bilbo was done dutifully by him. 

He placed Fili on the bed and Kili forced him out of the room and slammed the door shut and turned off the lights, leaving only a small lamp in the corner on.   
Fili finally looked up, but when he did a harsh, ragged scream left his lips, eyes fixed on Kili’s eyes. Thorin pounded on the door and Kili swore quietly under his breath, grabbing the nearest sunglasses.

“Go away uncle! Now isn’t the time!” Kili shouted, and Thorin went quiet. Fili was a string of terrified noises and garbled calls for help. Fili shushed his brother, pulling his torso into his arms, humming gently to him, stroking a hand through his hair like their father used to when they were young and had a nightmare. 

“It’s okay Fee. You’re gonna be alright. Nobody will know, nobody. Just sleep, you’re safe in your sleep.” He mumbled to his older brother, who wiped his eyes and asked for some water, getting a bottle of it from Kili who knew where his brother kept the bottles. 

Eventually, Fili fell asleep and Kili was able to leave, turning the light off. As expected, Thorin was sat waiting outside with a face like pure thunder. 

“Tell me exactly what that was about before I drag you and dangle you from the scaffolding.” He snarled, taking hold of Kili’s t-shirt. He let out a quiet noise that instinctively was Kaiju, responding to the threat. “Tell me, Kili!”

“It was a panic attack. Nothing more.” Kili growled, looking up into his uncle’s eyes with a white cold fury. But his uncle always knew when he was lying. Thorin shook him and leaned in closer, almost forehead to forehead with his nephew. 

“How long have these been happening?” Thorin asked, releasing Kili to step back after a moment of thought, squaring up to his nephew didn’t require physical contact. 

“Years. PTSD. Are you happy now? Now he can’t be a pilot because you’ll tell Bofur who will put him out of commission.” Kili snapped, pulling his hair up into a ponytail, just in case this dissolved into a fight. 

“Who said I would be doing anything like that? Don’t assume things of me, Kili. You don’t know what I’ll do. You’re still a child, you don’t know what’s best for your brother” Thorin retorted, doing his ‘I’m the adult, I’m your superior officer’ act. 

Kili threw the first punch, getting Thorin square on the jaw with a shout, knocking his uncle over. Thorin was about to beat the shit out of him, but he didn’t care. He began to pummel his uncle, but was cut short by a pair of hands pulling him away. Kili kicked and thrashed, ignoring the pain ripping through his body. 

He turned and saw two tones of blonde, it was Eomer and Fili. Obviously their link had summoned Eomer to see if his co-pilot was safe and had come across the confrontation, waking Fili in order to break up the fight. Both knew that Kili would fight dirty and get himself in trouble with Dis. 

Once Kili was physically restrained by Fili, Eomer helped Thorin up. 

“Fili he knows! He knows and now you won’t get to be a ranger either, not anymore!” Kili insisted, breathing heavily now the full effects of the pain took hold of him. Fili paled a little, but shook his head, letting go of Kili once he stopped struggling.

Eomer tightened his hold on Thorin’s arm though, making a small noise under his breath. “Say it isn’t so. If you tell then you will be a traitor and will have damned us to death.” 

“Eomer, please at ease. Uncle won’t talk because if he does I will set Kili on him and then he won’t be a pilot too. Right, uncle?” If Thorin was the king of instilling fear in the Durinson household, then Fili was certainly his heir. 

“Right, Fili.” Thorin muttered, stomping away from the young men.

 

“You are infatuated.” Arwen calmly informed Eowyn as for the tenth time she glanced over at the man who had enough power to keep a Kaiju for years- Faramir. She made a noise of protest, pale cheeks flushing at the notion itself. Tauriel nodded beside her, causing her to go an even brighter red. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m a ranger, not some maiden from Arkhangelsk seeing her first Moscow soldier!” She protested eyes locked onto the fair hair and her heart leapt into her throat when he turned and looked at her. Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away, eyes wide in surprise, blood pounding in her ears. “I think...I think you may be right.” She conceded after a few moments more of smirking.

“Are you going to talk to him? Or just keep admiring him from afar. He’s not going anywhere, just go and offer him a coffee!” Tauriel insisted, getting her up on her feet. She swallowed her pride and swore at Tauriel quietly before limping over to Faramir. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he cut in. 

“Could I get you a coffee? Something to eat? I’ve got to go back in an hour, but the scientists are being...peculiar about the Kaiju so I’m forced to wait here.” He asked quickly. Eowyn’s face lit up in a broad smile. 

“I was about to ask you the same thing. Would you like to escort me to the cafeteria?” She asked, getting a nod in return. She took his arm. “Jaeger injury. I need to have support as I walk.” Came her quick reply. Tauriel winked and nodded as they left the waiting room arm in arm. 

Arwen shook her head, glancing at Tauriel. 

“As soon as this is over, Aragorn and I plan on having children. We would have sooner, but when Bofur called me I couldn’t say no. What do you think about the name Rima?” Arwen’s gaze was piercing, but Tauriel didn’t mind.

“Rima? For a child? Absolutely not!” She laughed, getting a light smack from Arwen. 

“I meant for the other thing.” Arwen huffed, shaking her head slightly.

“For the other thing then that’s fine. Rima. It rolls from the tongue, doesn’t it, Undomiel?” Tauriel chuckled, slouching down a little bit. 

“It really does. It makes me happy to think that you believe yourself to be important enough to decide my child’s name.” Arwen teased, leaning against her companion. 

“I tell you what’s strange though...Kili, where he’d been injured by the Kaiju, his veins are all electric blue and then it fades across his hip and looks normal until it reaches his eyes where it is most bright. You try having somebody that speaks in Kaiju after they finish up in bed. It’s unnerving.” Tauriel confessed quietly. She’d been avoiding him somewhat, as Bofur had given orders to keep it a secret. To keep it safe. She needed to rectify that, or rather, erect-ify him. 

“You should go, you’re not getting any younger waiting around here for nothing that will happen any time soon.” Arwen suggested, and so Tauriel was off. 

 

She found Kili in their room lying on the bed in a small ball. She pursed her lips and climbed in beside him, kissing one of his broad shoulders. 

“Kili? Kili, my love?” She whispered, not wanting to wake him if he had been asleep. He rolled over and smiled weakly at her. He looked awful. “What happened, Kee? What did you do?”

“Had a fight with uncle Thorin and dragged Fili around base for a little while.” He shrugged it off, but she knew the pain was still there. 

“How about I make you feel better?”

"I thought you'd never offer!"


	16. Chapter 16

Thorin and Bilbo lay together in bed, coiled around one another in sleepy bliss. Their time together was numbered, should Thorin be the one chosen to effectively kamikaze the breach with Gollum. They prayed to god that it wouldn’t be him, that he could be safe from the hands of fate.   
Tomorrow was the day that they would find out who was being picked for the mission. Everyone else would be defence, ready to fight whenever they thought there was a risk that the main Jaeger would be endangered. The draw was tomorrow morning and the entire base was tense. Bilbo didn’t know who the six unknown pilots were, but Thorin did. It made him nearly sick with worry, barely eating more than a mouthful at dinner. 

 

Dwalin and Dis slept face to face, her hands curled in his silly blue beard. He tied it in a scrunchie at her request when they slept, otherwise it would be a mess in the morning and he hated combing it, but always dyed it every three weeks, much to Dis’ dismay. Her sons would have a fine choice in step-father should that day ever come, she reasoned.   
She knew that the pickings was tomorrow and her son had a four in fourteen chance of losing somebody so painfully close to them. She had a three in fourteen chance of losing a loved one. Fili had a one in seven chance of his Jaeger being picked. Her stomach had been churning all night until Dwalin had gotten her to sleep. She feared for her sons, for her brother and her Dwalin. 

 

Eomer and Fili sat together in the night, watching the heavens above them. The air was crisp and brittle, much like their nerves. Eomer began a song, while Fili picked up on as knowing from the drift.   
He couldn’t remember the words but he knew the tune. It told the song of horses gliding though a winter storm in Kamchatka, the snow eating their rides, but the horses remained free. Were they the horses, or the riders? He didn’t know, Eomer probably didn’t know either, but that was far beyond the point. The song calmed their nerves for the day ahead.

 

Kili kissed Tauriel’s forehead gently and slipped away from their bed to find quiet. It wasn’t quiet from her, but quiet in his own mind that he needed more than anything else. His night time amblings brought him to the foot of his old Jaeger.   
Knifed Drawstring lay dormant, it was dormant as far as Kili was concerned. He was the true left hemisphere, not Eomer. But Eomer did a good job on looking after his Jaeger and his brother. He missed the feeling of another person at the edges of his mind, but would never feel it again. Nearby he heard the sounds of people training. At this time of night? It confused him, but he went to investigate all the same. 

Bofur and Nori had left their rooms and come to train for the sake of it. Bofur could see the Durin in Nori’s mind and Nori could see the Durin in Bofur’s. They knew each other just fine, they knew the Durin in the other wasn’t dominant, though sometimes Bofur would talk to a dead man when he was half asleep or not paying attention. Nori didn’t mind it, he was used to oddities, he himself was one hell of an oddity.   
A bisexual Russian Kaiju parts dealer from a long line of spies and drug dealers who worked behind the scenes here. It was almost ironic, if it weren’t for the fact he once used to obey the law and work as a ranger. The innate need to help was always there, thanks to Dori. 

Nori swung right and found his pole caught by Bofur who wrested both the pole away, spinning both with a little showy smile, tapping the sticks together before stepping away and throwing the pole back to Nori.   
Bofur used his pole more like something heavy and hard, blunter than an axe, rather than a sword or anything of that sort. Nori knew this and was fine to deflect, taking a moment of advantage to knock Bofur to the floor. He smiled, kneeling over Bofur, he offered the floored marshal a hand and began to pull him up, but their faces were close. Close enough that he could-

Kili cleared his throat and Nori jumped, tugging Bofur all the way up to standing so they could look at the Durinson before them.

“Kili! What can we do for you, eh? You should be sleeping.” Bofur quickly said, before Nori had the chance to say anything to embarrass either of them about what Kili may or may not have just walked in on. 

“I couldn’t sleep. That’s all, I was visiting my Jaeger...Well, she’s not mine anymore. But I thought I’d go for a wander around the halls. I noticed there’s a couple of Jaegers down the bay, they’re damaged. Are they for the other pilots that will be defending whoever is chosen tomorrow? Please, don’t pick Fee or Uncle. I don’t care about the others, just not them.” Kili pleaded, blue eyes gleaming in the dark. 

Bofur chewed the inside of his cheek. Kili still didn’t know. He’d know tomorrow, better to save it for then. “Well, I’ll be picking a Jaeger name out of a hat. I can’t promise anyone you love will be safe, Kili. Go back to Tauriel, Nori and I are done here anyway, right Nor-nor?” 

Nori bit his tongue, that wasn’t a question, it was an order. He just nodded and gave a light hearted smile to reassure Kili. The second Kili turned to leave his expression dropped. 

“Goodnight Bofur.” He calmly said, turning to leave so that his most trusted second in command wouldn’t see the hurt that marred his normally jolly demeanour. In return he didn’t see Bofur reach after him before shaking his head. Curse that stupid hat. 

 

Legolas wasn’t able to sleep. His father was becoming increasingly volatile, so he took solace in isolation. He sat in the lonely scaffolding, watching all that happened between the three men below.   
He saw that Kili was leaving and quietly climbed down to go and speak with him. He managed to get close rather fast, thanks to training making him stronger than most people he knew.  
Kili realised he was being followed after a few moments, turning to stare the pilot down.

“Can I help you, Orophoron? Or are you here to call me a half-breed mongrel?” Kili snapped. Lack of sleep always made him grouchy. 

“Peace, Durinson. Peace. I’m not the one that has a problem with you. I just want to know something, that’s all. “He raised his hands, his hair flowing freely for once.

“Fine. What do you want to know from me?” Kili asked suspiciously, stepping closer to Legolas. 

“Tauriel. How is she? I haven’t been able to see her or speak with her since my father dismissed her without any reason other than my fondness for her.” Legolas seemed genuine enough to Kili. He knew there was some kind of history between the Mirky prince and his Tauriel. He frowned but shook it off mentally. 

“Tauriel is well, happier than ever and working hard with rehabilitating Eowyn with Arwen’s help. Uncle doesn’t hate her as much as he hates your father. He used to loathe her, but she brought him back to being able to pilot after he tried to publicly show off and then got knocked out by Bilbo a few months back.” Kili smothered a burst of laughter that came with the memory. While Frodo had been hurt, his uncle had been sulky whenever that had been brought up for weeks afterwards. 

Legolas seemed to soften for a moment, letting out a small noise. It was certainly a sad noise, but he wasn’t sure why. Then he realised the reason for her dismissal had happened after a mission and Thranduil gave no explanation while Legolas argued and fought against it. 

“You loved her, didn’t you?” Kili asked after a moment of quiet. Legolas’ mouth drew into a small line and he looked at the ground. “I don’t blame you. I wake up every morning and think how lucky I am. But...Well, you know how it is. You can’t date her now that I am. You’re welcome to be her friend, I won’t be a jealous boyfriend. I just want her to be happy and you should be happy too, dying unhappy is the worst thing I could imagine. Join us for breakfast before the meeting. Arwen, Eomer, Eowyn, Tauriel, Fili and I. We had a free seat anyway since we sit at a bigger table now. Your dad won’t have to know.” He smiled. Well, Thranduil would find out anyway, but that didn’t matter. 

Legolas smiled a true genuine smile and bowed low to Kili. “I will join you. Seven am?” He asked. 

“7am. Depending on who wakes up first. If you get there first, save our jug of orange juice.” Kili grinned, patting the ranger’s shoulder, getting a nod and another bow. 

“Alright. I will see you in the morning, Kili.” Legolas turned and left, heart slightly elated for once in a long while. Going back to bed unnoticed, he was able to drift to sleep with high hopes for the day ahead.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> super long chapter ahead, went a little wild with this one and made myself sad

Tauriel awoke first, heading to the shower to get clean quickly. Her stomach lay uneasy, she was certain most of the base had uneasy stomachs about today, but she had to be strong for this. For Kili. Just in case it should be somebody important to him that would be picked. She was joined in the shower by him a few minutes later begging for a kiss, but she shoved him away until his teeth were brushed, then she submitted to a kiss from him and then forced him to clean, not in the mood for anything too playful. 

They went down to lunch when it was only a few minutes past seven, Tauriel looking at Kili in surprise when she saw Legolas salute Kili, getting one in return from her boyfriend. Legolas was guarding their juice with a fierce passion, with made her smile as they collected their breakfasts. They sat down opposite him and Tauriel could barely contain her smile. 

“So that’s what you were up to last night, Kee?” She asked, elbowing him gently. 

“Well, you guys were friends. Like Batman and Robin or something, right? You’re Batman of course Tauriel. And I’m Catwoman here to seduce you like the minx I am.” He added, fluttering his eyelashes jokingly. Eomer sat down beside Legolas and grunted a greeting, huge cup of coffee in front of him. 

“Minx? More llike jinx, butterfingers Kili!” Fili laughed, shaking his head as he snatched Kili’s cup of freshly poured juice away, drinking it all in one go. Kili spluttered and Legolas laughed, pouring another for the dark haired man. Eowyn sat down beside Fili and snatched his apple away, tossing it to Legolas who passed it to Kili. Kili took a huge bite of it, staring Fili down with a smug grin. 

“You were saying?” Eowyn asked, before gracefully eating her cereal. Fili was absolutely pouting, but nobody was really paying attention. The group lapsed into mild chatter, Legolas speaking to Eomer about the kill count ratio to being dropped becoming more hard to even out. Tauriel and Fili were talking about something to do with Gollum, how they didn’t trust what was happening. 

Arwen joined them a while later, looking weak from not sleeping. Legolas spoke to her in a language nobody at the table understood, but knew to be spoken in Taiwan, as she was Galadriel’s granddaughter after all. She replied snappishly and began to eat her breakfast of fruit only. 

Thorin, Bilbo and Frodo entered shortly after, going to sit with Dis, Dwalin and Balin. 

“Thorin, you won’t believe who I saw walking in with three kids.” Dwalin quickly said, as soon as they were sat down.

“Who? Thranduil? Beorn? Is Beorn stealing children to make up for Frodo not being entertainment right now?” Thorin asked, getting a noise of protest from Frodo who was sat beside Dis, sharing his apple with her. 

“God no. And no, no. It was Bard! He’s alive! He’s got his daughters and a son with him. Which means their...” He trailed off because Frodo’s ears were too eager at times. He knew Thorin knew what the end of the sentence was. He frowned, but glanced at Frodo. 

“How old are they?” Thorin asked, if anyone asked, Bilbo could have sworn he heard the cogs ticking inside his silly ranger’s mind. 

“Seven, fourteen and seventeen.” Dwalin replied, shaking his head. 

“It’s wrong, that’s what it is. No seven year old should be alone on base like this. I’m going to go and see that man!” Dis piped up, hand smacking the table. 

“Wait until after we have breakfast!” Frodo insisted, tugging her sleeve angrily. She sighed and nodded. Frodo was absolutely a weak spot for her, all kids were. She didn’t have the chance to overly mother young Fili and Kili. He smiled and offered her a spoonful of porridge, which she gladly took just for his little smile lighting up his face. 

“It is wrong, I agree wholly. However, you need to consider their loss Dis. You can’t go in guns blazing. Be like Dori would be if Ori found a kitten and adopted it forever.” Balin suggested, getting a nod from his brother.   
The notion made Bilbo smile, none of them realised that Ori was in fact allergic to cats and wouldn’t adopt one if it was the last pet on earth. He’d learnt that just by listening to Ori’s ranting about his brothers and their softness for animals. 

“And you should let him know we’re here to help, too.” Bilbo added from under Thorin’s arm. He wasn’t sat with Thorin’s arm around his shoulders just because Thorin could be possessive, but they both needed the contact to keep them calm and together. Today could be signing a death warrant for Thorin and he wasn’t ready to face that idea yet.

Dis nodded, kissing Dwalin’s cheek as soon as she’d finished eating, dashing off to find Bofur and ask where Bard was. 

 

At midday, they assembled in the bay, where Bofur was stood with a microphone so that everyone on base could hear the announcements. Kili stood between Fili and Tauriel, with Beorn stood behind them with Radagast. Arwen was on Tauriel’s other side with Eowyn and Eomer. Eomer and Fili would exchange glances whenever Fili trembled too hard when he wasn’t paying attention. 

Eventually almost everyone was there as the clock chimed Twelve. The air grew tense, Bilbo was holding Thorin’s hand so tightly that Thorin was certain he would never regain feeling in it. 

“We’ve drawn who will be asked to sacrifice themselves to save us all. They have no obligation to do so, none of the Jaeger teams do. But they will have the greatest honour of all should they chose to go through with it.” Bofur called out. 

Tauriel’s eyes were shut tightly. Fili was shaking violently, Thorin looked pale, Dis’ eyes were brimming with tears. Dwalin looked grim, Arwen squared her jaw a little as Eowyn made a small noise when Eomer inhaled sharply. 

 

“Maker’s Hammer.” Bofur sounded so pained, so grimly ready for what would happen. 

The world seemed to slow for Bilbo as he shook his head, collapsing against Thorin as Dis muffled a shriek with her hands, which turned into a wail. 

“Thorin Durinson, do you accept? Dwalin Fundingwyo, do you accept?” Asked Bofur. 

Balin begged the gods that may be for his brother or Thorin to say no, he knew they wouldn’t refuse. 

They looked at one another and Dwalin nodded to Thorin. 

“We do accept the honour of saving us all. Who will be at our defence?” Thorin asked, voice booming through the halls. Frodo was thankfully not there, or he’d be sobbing his eyes out. 

“Your direct defence will be the Throwing Knife, it’ll take your right. On your left will be Oaky Pipe.” Bofur replied. 

Throwing Knife? But...That Jaeger had no pilots, only one. Bilbo frowned, looking up at Bofur through his tears. 

“The pilots of Throwing Knife will be Marshal Bofur and Nori Rironavski. Pilots of the Oaky Pipe remain the same, Marshal Beorn and Aiwendil Radagast.” 

A shout pierced the dead silence. It was Dori, or maybe Ori. 

“May god have mercy on us all. The tertiary teams will be Rimmo Rima, piloted by Arwen Undomiel and Tauriel Sindaran, Mirky Green, piloted by Thranduil and Legolas Orophoron, Knifed Drawstring piloted by Fili Durinson and Eomer Eomundovich Rohirrim. Finally, from retirement we have Forest Fire, piloted by Fangorn Treebeard and Tom Bombadil” The speakers went silent and Dis began to hit Dwalin’s chest, furiously shaking him. 

 

Kili turned and looked at Tauriel, eyes searching for some kind of sign that this was just a horrible joke. Her face was grim. This wasn’t a joke. Kili’s world was crumbling around him. He fell to his knees, letting out a scream of rage. People began to disperse.

Bilbo had run away with Ori, taking up hiding in the library, barring themselves in. Dori joined them after a short while with Frodo, who had been given a full explanation by the motherly man. Together they sat and tried to process it all. Dori offered them tea and Bilbo gratefully took it.   
After a few hours of tears and tantrums, they tidied up the library and sat together, trying to figure out what to do with themselves. Who would die? Would they all die? If they failed and Thorin died, Bilbo would most certainly take up smoking things worse than just cigarettes. 

Some hours later, Frodo needed sleep and he needed to talk to Thorin and check on the other dark haired Durinson man. Frodo was given back to Dori who went to take him for a late dinner and to be taken to bed. 

First stop, Kili. He knew where Kili would be, so he scaled the scaffolding, having too many memories of the wall. The man was hunched up on a large walkway, no chance to fall off and fall to his death. He crawled towards Kili, who looked up and made a small noise in his throat. Bilbo crawled closer and reached out to Kili. Poor boy could lose everything but his mother any day now. 

Kili welcomed the embrace as Bilbo shushed him, patting his back reassuringly. 

“We’ll be okay Kili. They won’t have to die, they just have to force the creature in, dead or alive. They’ll be fine, I promise. If they’re not, then you can hold me responsible and dangle me off a wall, or even throw me off it. I don’t mind. But we need to be strong for them, if we’re not then they’ll be left scared. You and I know that Tauriel wouldn’t risk her life unless it meant potentially saving yours and your mothers.” Bilbo hurriedly rolled a cigarette and handed it to Kili, lighting it for him. 

Kili took a deep drag, face curled in a grimace. He took a few deep breaths after the first drag. Had he been up here all day? Almost certainly, going by how red his eyes were from tears and how his body shook with hysterics which had subsided mostly. 

“How about we go and get something to eat. Food always makes me feel better when bad things happen.” Bilbo suggested, getting a nod in return. He shuffled backwards and climbed down the scaffolding, helping Kili down as best he could, but really they just collapsed on the floor together, with Bilbo plucking the cigarette out of Kili’s hand to take a drag as they climbed back up to their feet and headed down to the cafeteria. 

Kili eventually ate at Bilbo’s demand, though it settled heavily in his stomach. He needed to sleep, but sleeping meant he would have to see Tauriel. He’d have to see her anyway, but that was far from the point. He wanted to put it off, much like Bilbo wanted to put off seeing Thorin. Eventually after enough chiding, he left.

 

The door to his room was shut and he couldn’t hear anything inside. He pushed the door open and stepped into the slight gloom. Tauriel was curled in a ball beside the bed, rosary in her hands. Kili let out a small sigh and knelt in front of her, taking her delicate hand in one of his own rough, calloused hands. She mumbled a quiet apology, unable to look at him. He sighed and pulled her closer into his arms, so that she was leaning against the bulk of his body, his bad leg stretched out before them so it wouldn’t be hurt.

“I should have told you. I’m so sorry, Kilian Durinson. I’ve wronged you, Bofur made me swear not to tell anyone” She whispered. The fact she used his full name was surprising and had the desired effect. Nobody called him Kilian anymore, not even people from other teams. 

He was just Kili. 

“I understand. I would have done the same if I could have...Just, please don’t die. Don’t go to walk among the stars while I’m stranded on this earth. I always promised my mother I would come home from the missions, especially after I...I got my father killed. You were right to do it. I believe in you, I know you’ll keep uncle safe.” He mumbled lips pressed against her hair “And...And Dwalin. I should call him dad at least once before he goes, if he dies then I’ll have lost my father figures. He’s always been there, like uncle Thorin. To start with he was just a close family friend, when he started dating ma, I knew he was right for her. I want him to live so that ma can be happy again.” 

Tauriel made a small noise of pain and gripped Kili’s hand hard, but he just kissed her knuckles with his silly stubbly chin.   
“Let’s go to bed.” She finally replied after ten minutes. He smiled and scooped her up, placing her on the bed where he could protect her body with his own. 

 

Bilbo entered his and Thorin’s room almost silently, planning on going to sleep in Frodo’s room so he wouldn’t have to be trapped with a certain Durinson. But the door shut behind him and Thorin was there. 

Bilbo knew this was going to be a shouting match, he could taste it in the air. 

“Bilbo. You have to respect what is asked of me. Please? I know you don’t like it, but you will not stop me. You cannot stop me doing what is my duty.” Thorin sounded like he’d been shouting with other people all day. He probably had. And that looked like a black eye was forming. 

“Thorin I cannot just stand by and watch the love of my dreams throw his life away for what? A mission that may or may not work and may or may not save us at the cost of his life! I refuse to let this happen. If you...If you do this then I shan’t be speaking to you for at least a year! You’re declaring war on your own life for heaven’s sake!” Bilbo waved his arms in the air, he could feel himself tearing up a little, but he wouldn’t stop for a few tears. 

“You have no idea what this means, you have no idea what it means to be needed to save the world, you would have been happy to stay at home in the shire, had Fell not come and eaten your parents and Frodo’s, you’d be happily alone in some old house with no life in it! You don’t know hardship, you don’t know what this means to me, to everyone here! I don’t want my nephews to die from a Kaiju attack, so you cannot be telling me this. If I am declaring war, then I will have war so long as it guarantees what I love is safe.” Thorin snarled, stepping towards Bilbo. Definitely a black eye and bloodied nose. He deserved another. 

“Thorin Oakenshield Durinson you would do kindly to shut your mouth! You think you know what I would or wouldn’t do, but without me you would be dead, or...or used as a glory hole on the wall so long as you got your crack! Fili and Kili would probably be dead, Dis would be ruined and you would be just sitting around getting high and wasting your life! I lost more than you know when Fell attacked! I don't see you being the one to save us from the beast!” 

“I...Well you are just a scientist, you’ve never faced up to a real Kaiju, never known the fear of death coming for you to swallow you whole! You don’t know anything. You’re not a hero, you’re just another scientist that means nothing to people like me, the real heroes!”

“No, no I do! I was the one who helped fit the Ring to Gollum, he nearly devoured me, or did you forget the Kaiju blue that dripped from my clothes which we had to burn as a result? If I meant nothing then why are you still here, Thorin? Why are you saying this shit to me- pardon my Danish. What is wrong with you? I have done nothing to deserve this tirade other than save your sad skin from the wall! If I mean nothing then let me go and don’t speak to me again!” 

“Fine! Get out then, go. I don’t need you here to tell me I can’t save your nephew’s life, to save my own nephews’ lives! To tell me I can’t do what I have to do. Get out, baggins!” Thorin roared, but instantly he regretted it. 

He shouldn’t have said that. 

In that moment, Bilbo’s vision swam. He shoved Thorin aside and opened the door, striding out of the room. Tears were streaming down his face but he didn’t care. He just didn’t care, he didn’t have enough energy to care anymore. 

“No, no Bilbo please come back!” Thorin shouted, running after him. But Bilbo heard the heavy footsteps and ran too, he was fleeter than Thorin and had a better sense of direction. He ran, he ran until his bare feet ached. Until his lungs were screaming at him. 

He found himself with Bard in the stillness of night. 

“Oh. D-do excuse me, I thought I’d be alone.” Bilbo quickly apologised, rolling a quick cigarette. “If Oakenbrain comes looking for me, I was never here.” 

“Had a fight? About him being chosen today? I know what it will feel like, should he die. My Lenja...Not a day passes where I don’t ache with the pain of missing her. If you really love your Durinson...Just go back to him, tell him what he means to you. Better than dying with unsaid things.” Bard spoke, not even looking at him. Bilbo placed a hand on the man’s arm. “Better not to die at all, though...”

“If you want help with your children, Dori, Dis and I will be able to lend a hand...Even if the ones we love die, we can help you. I’m so sorry, Bard. When this is over, come and visit us in the shire. Goodness knows the countryside might help you heal” Bilbo mumbled, before turning and going back where he’d come from. 

 

He found Thorin punching the wall, knuckles bloodied and forehead pressed against it. He was lost, of course that didn’t help.  
He cleared his throat. Thorin jumped and looked up.   
“Bilbo-!”   
“No. Don’t speak. You need to apologise to me, then you need to put some tea inside you. And then sleep. I love you, as thick as you are. I think you are so thick that if you fell head first from the wall you would survive it.” Bilbo spat, hands on his hips. 

Thorin looked incredibly relieved, coming forward to take hold of Bilbo, pressing his face into Bilbo’s hair. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean any of it. None at all. I adore you so much, so much Bilbo. I don’t want to be without you. I’m so sorry Bilbo, just forgive me.” Thorin babbled.   
Bilbo sighed. 

“Come on, you great oaf. Let’s just go to sleep and forget this happened.” Bilbo took his hand, pretending he didn’t feel a ring box in the other’s pocket.


	18. Chapter 18

Gimli sat with his father and uncle, looking down at the Kaiju together. He’d helped his father, Bilbo, Ori, Nori and uncle Oin fit the Ring to the Kaiju. It was much like a collar but with a constant forty thousand volts running through it. The voltage wasn’t enough to kill the beast, he insisted on that. His mam always said that he had a heart the size of an elephant and couldn’t stand killing needlessly.   
He dismissed that as rubbish, he just knew a dead Kaiju too soon could ruin their plans for salvation.

“When the time comes, who will be responsible for detonating the Ring?” He asked, face in his hands. 

“Cousin Dain, he’ll be overhead in one of the helicopters and will have the remote device to detonate once he gets the signal.” Oin answered, that meant it wasn’t Gimli’s cousin, but Oin’s cousin. 

“How do we know it’ll work in the breach?” He asked, his father spluttered. 

“Gimli don’t be so ridiculous, of course it’ll work! Thorin Oakenshield will be there, it has to work!” Gloin exclaimed, lightly smacking the back of his son’s head. It didn’t hurt, it just messed up his hair. Gimli harrumphed and frowned at the Kaiju some more.

 

A hard slap knocked Legolas back a little, eyes wide as his chest heaved in surprise from the hit. 

“Legolas, I thought I raised you better than going and fraternising with the enemies! They’re mongrels and you have no business being around them.” Thranduil spat. “You’re an Orophoron, not a Durinson! Tauriel may now be one of them, but you are not. You are supposed to show discipline and obey, not act like...Like some common white man!” 

That stung, but Legolas just shut his eyes. He wouldn’t give his father the satisfaction of a reaction that he desired. He was angry, ready to run at any second. But he was in control of this all. He was the one in control, not his father. 

“If they’re the enemies, then tell me why Gandalf trusted them with all of his heart, why he brought them together. I think you want us to fail if you see them as the enemy. If you’re against them, then you’re against all of us. The whole world, father. I don’t think mother would have wanted this for me, I know she would have cut your hand from the wrist for laying a hand against me in anger. I am allowed to have friends, I am allowed to be my own person regardless of if you like it or not.” Legolas was the picture of calm, eyes trained on his father. 

He could move perfectly to avoid a hit that he knew would come. 

Thranduil exploded with a fury Legolas had never seen before, but he was able to avoid being hit. He rolled and grabbed his father’s arm, kicking him in the back of the knee to bring him down. He’d learnt that move from Eomer, who he was reasonably good friends with. Thranduil snapped and tried to fight against him, but he held on tighter. 

“Stop. Just stop. I am allowed to have friends, they’re rangers too. Best of the best, they’re better than you are. When you’re ready to apologise, I will be with lady Arwen.” Legolas snapped, shoving Thranduil slightly, marching away from him with as much grace as he could muster. 

 

Arwen accepted Legolas with a warm embrace, she knew how hard his father could be to him, how hard it was to have so many expectations. What Legolas had always needed was friendship and now that he had it, his father should be happy for him, not slapping him. She was related to them distantly, she wasn’t really sure how. But she was related to them enough that she could soothe the angry red mark on his cheek and give him words of encouragement. 

Legolas hid away with Arwen for the rest of the day, with Tauriel coming to bring him dinner with a peculiar man. He was a bit like that Bilbo man, but taller and stronger with a strange little red beard, same colouring though. Legolas mentally scolded himself, he needed to stop seeing people by their race and start seeing them for people. 

“Miss Arwen. Gimli, son of Gloin at your service” The man bowed. Gimli? It was a funny sounding name, no doubts Scandinavian in origin. “Mister er...Orophoron. Gimli, son of gloin at your service.” He added as an afterthought, bowing to them both.

“Ah, Gimli. My grandmother was most fond of you. Have you brought our dinner?” Arwen asked, gesturing for the young man to sit with them. Tauriel already placed Arwen’s dinner in her lap, having eaten her own with the Durinsons. Gimli’s cheeks flushed a little and he gave Legolas his meal. 

“Well, miss Tauriel here needed a hand and the Durin boys are always busy and the lady Eowyn couldn’t help carry it, so I offered to help.” He quickly explained, taking a seat near Tauriel. 

The sofa they were reclining on was in a semi-circle, Legolas was sprawled across half with Tauriel between him and Arwen. Gimli was sat directly across from Legolas, smiling sheepishly at Arwen. 

“My grandmother told no lie when she spoke of your kind heart, little Gimli. Though you are hardly little any longer, I suppose your heart now fits your grand stature.” Arwen smiled, eating her meal with a thoughtful glance over at Legolas. 

“Your grandmother was a wonderful woman, I admired her strength fiercely. You’re plenty like her, of course. More in looks, though you haven’t got her hair.” Gimli confessed. It sounded like real hero worship as far as Legolas was concerned. 

“Legolas and I share the same great great great grand parents, on my mother’s side, our main family branches are cousin clans, but he is many generations below me. We’re distant cousins of different clans, you see as his mother was from hong kong while his father was one of the family that moved to the island during the 1950s.” Arwen glanced over at Legolas, who looked back with feigned boredom. 

“Legolas, eh? You’re the younger pilot in Mirky Green then. I couldn’t tell at first, you and your father are very similar, though you have far better eyebrows.” Gimli grinned. 

Legolas wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or insult, but just quirked his lip up at the joke instead. He was used to being compared to his father, but never positively. 

“Right you are, Gimli. His are in dire need of a plucking.” Legolas internally cursed himself, he couldn’t say Gimli’s name right, his accent butchered it too much. 

“You’re alright, for an Orophoron. When this is over, you and I gotta have a drinking match. See who’s the better man!” Gimli laughed. Tauriel quirked a brow at Legolas and he scowled at her, if only momentarily before he realised Kili was right behind her ready to spring some kind of prank.

“You have yourself a deal, bearded son of Gloin.” Legolas replied, getting a broad smile in return from the unsuspecting victim of Fili, who had snuck up behind Gimli. 

Simultaneously, Fili and Kili roared in Tauriel and Gimli’s ear, getting a shriek from Tauriel and a surprised “Blaragh!” noise from Gimli.   
Legolas couldn’t contain his laughter, doubling forward as Tauriel dragged Kili over the back of the sofa with a hit to his arm.

Gimli had turned and jumped over the sofa, scrapping with Fili. Scuffling and shouting was all that was heard from them until Eomer joined them, going to his co-pilots aid, eventually saving Fili from the fierce Gimli who was brought to sit beside Legolas, hair and beard messed up. Legolas snorted and moved to smooth down the wild hair for Gimli, who jumped a little in surprise at the touch. Legolas rolled his eyes and let the stubborn man fix it himself. 

Kili had his arm around Tauriel, having won her over with his best puppy-Kaiju expression. Fili and Eomer were happily settled down, not a shake to be seen across Fili’s body as they were totally relaxed in each other’s company. If anyone survived unscathed, Legolas reasoned, it would be them. 

Legolas glanced over at Arwen who seemed to just be happy with everyone sitting around her like this, it was life. It was a family.   
Eventually, night fell and everyone had to go to their rooms, to bed. Which meant Legolas would have to see his father.   
He sighed heavily, getting ready to make his way back, but found that Gimli was tagging along with him. 

“Shouldn’t you be going to your own bed?” He asked, raising a brow. 

“I am, I’m stuck in family quarters, it’s this way and then up the stairs and to the left.” Gimli replied with a chuckle. 

“Ah. I go down the stairs to the right, that’s fair enough I suppose, Gimli.” 

“Don’t let him hit you again. If he does, he’s endangering your drift compatibility. I would know, my grandfather helped Lady Galadriel and her family create the technology.” Gimli said, stopping once they were at the stairs. “If you need me, my room number is 56b.” 

“Goodnight Gimli.” Legolas simply said, bowing slightly before heading down the stairs, leaving the technician-to-be at the top. 

He reached his bedroom without any hassle and found himself crawling into bed half dressed. He hadn’t even combed his hair, but then he supposed that didn’t matter. His day had been okay, regardless of the fight. 

 

Thranduil watched his son, sorrow deep in his eyes. He intended to speak to his son, but decided against it. He sat on the bed beside Legolas and gently stroked a hand through the long silky dark hair.   
Legolas stirred if only momentarily before Thranduil left, leaving a note of apology and one of Legolas’ mother’s necklaces. He truly was sorry for raising a hand against his son, he’d learnt his lesson after meditating alone. Legolas did need friends that weren’t paid to be there for him. 

“I am sorry, my son.” He mumbled, leaving as quietly as he came. 

He was half way to his own bedroom when the siren went off, blaring down their hall.

His stomach dropped. 

 

Activity in the breach.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter:  
> multiple character deaths, violence against Kaiju, probably going to make you sad but i have no heart so I don't care

Frodo didn’t know what was happening. He, Dori, Aunty Dis, Gimli and Gimli’s ma were brought down into a bunker far underground with other people from around base. He’d been awoken far too early without any breakfast by Dis and carried down without any explanation.  
He knew there was some kind of Kaiju attack, they had these bunkers back home in hobbiton, before Fell came and killed his parents. Was a Kaiju coming to eat them? No, Uncle Thorin and Uncle Dwalin wouldn’t let them be hurt.  
Maybe something was coming to hurt Smeagol- that was the Kaiju’s name. Nobody listened to him, but its name was Smeagol, not Gollum. 

“Dori...Is a Kaiju coming?” He asked in a whisper, not wanting to scare anybody nearby. Dori simply nodded grimly and pulled the boy closer to him, trying to calm another child that was with them, her name was Tilda and apparently her parents had been pilots like Uncle Thorin.  
Dori gladly allowed her to sit with himself and Frodo, with her other siblings sitting beside Dori. Dis took the older girl’s hands and murmured reassuringly to her, letting her know how brave she was being despite this all going on. A man that looked like he was the other children’s father was there, holding his crying son. 

Frodo was very glad that Dori was there, or else he’d be terrified, but Dori was strong and that meant Nori was protecting them with Bofur. If they got married, Frodo would be very happy, but they weren’t together like Uncle Bilbo and Uncle Thorin were. Nori would sometimes seem sad when he looked at Bofur like Thorin looked at Bilbo. When the attack was done, Frodo decided that he would make them be happy together. And give Tilda his rock candy that he’d been saving from Busan so she wouldn’t miss her ma too badly. 

But for now, he settled for wiggling out of Dori’s grasp and going to lay his head in Dis’ lap and sleep until it was breakfast time and Beorn was back. 

Dis glanced over and tried to hide her surprise that Celeborn, the widower of Galadriel was down here, not with his son-in-law watching his granddaughter go out to sea to save them, but then he would probably still be aching from the loss of his wife, this would be like shoving a blunt knife through the hole and ripping it even further, mangling the skin around the gaping hole where his heart should be. She shook her head, dispelling such thoughts. It wasn’t right to think that. 

\------

The alarm had sounded at One o’clock, forcing Thorin out of bed. He ran, showering as fast as possible and dressing. He met Dwalin halfway and they went to get their suits on together. Dis had taken Frodo, as Bilbo was still half asleep and would be needed at the control desk with Balin. 

Eventually Bilbo’s voice came through the radio to Thorin, mumbling quietly for his ears alone, Dwalin respectfully didn’t pay attention to anything that Bilbo confessed to his best friend. 

They were put in for the drop quickly, the teams scrambled to be ready. They didn’t know what would be coming out of the breach, but they knew what would be going in. Dwalin looked at him with eyes full of dismay. He knew Dis was going to hate him forever, but she would mourn him worse should he die on this mission. He wasn’t ready to hurt her, but they’d already agreed.  
“Amnas.” Thorin murmured.  
“Amnas.” Dwalin replied as the neural handshake was initiated. 

Nori and Bofur stood inside the top of Throwing Knife, ready to share four people’s memories between them. Ori had said his goodbyes, just in case, to Nori while the suit was put on and Elrond was there to replace Bofur on giving instructions to the teams. Before they were put into the head, Nori glanced over. 

“Tighter than you remember?” He asked, taking Bofur’s hand to give a gentle but reassuring squeeze. 

“Harder to breathe, but I’ll survive.” Nori knew that Bofur wasn’t talking about the suit, but the fear. It was now or never, in more ways than one. 

“Ya lyblu tebya.” Nori mumbled, looking at Bofur’s silly braids. Bofur smiled, leaning to kiss the corner of his lips. 

“I know, Nori. I know. Me too...to you I mean, I don’t love myself that much.” Bofur chuckled, pressing their foreheads together for a tender moment. It might be their last, but he would make sure it wasn’t. 

They were fitted into the machine quickly enough, ready to enter the drift. Nori took a deep breath as it was initiated.  
Bofur felt the threads of a dead man slip away from him, and found himself tied to Nori. All the coldness, the numbness of the ghost drift was gone.  
He let out a small laugh, tears trickling down his cheeks as he got Nori’s memories, so many of Nori’s memories that warmed his chest, made him feel truly complete for the first time since Vili’s death he was back where he belonged, right hemisphere with his best friend inside his Jaeger.  
He laughed, just one hard laugh. 

Nori could feel Bofur’s elation, the lightness in his heart. He could feel the great cold and the emptiness that Bofur had felt before, that it was stunting his heart. Now Nori looked over and he could feel that Bofur felt so much joy, so much excitement. It was like he’d been living in a half world until now. Nori just smiled and reached out for his hand, getting a firm squeeze in return. 

“God Nori, we should have done this years ago!” Bofur exclaimed, Nori could feel the lightness in his heart, he could see a future for them both now that Bofur’s heart was open. 

“I really...I agree so much. If we’d done this sooner I’d have gotten a real kiss in!” He joked, getting a light smack from Bofur.

“If we survive this, one of us will be balls deep later on. Deal?” 

“You have yourself a deal.”

Tauriel and Arwen glanced at each other, Kili refused to let them be alone together until he was forcibly removed from the bay and into the control room. 

“Do you know what’s come through?” Arwen asked, forcing herself to keep calm.

Tauriel knew, Kili had screamed it at her before Arwen was there. It scared her. A slow nod was all she could give. She swallowed her fear and glanced over.

“Five. It’s a quintuple event. And because that creature Gollum is out there too, they're making it six in total officially.” She murmured. Arwen paled and took in a deep breath. She pressed onto the radio to her father as they were put into the machine, drift not yet initiated. 

“Dad...Tell Aragorn I love him with all my heart. And that I’m sorry. If I die, I would have gladly been mother to his children, tell grandpa he should be proud.” She whispered. He heard, of course, but Tauriel wasn’t going to listen in. 

The neural handshake was initiated. They were compatible, as thought. 

Memories of Thranduil calling Arwen a mix-breed flooded Tauriel’s mind, memories of Galadriel fighting him punishingly, beating him until he could barely stand in reparation for the insult he gave to her precious granddaughter, all she had left of her daughter.  
Memories of living with Galadriel and seeing a very young Gimli and his mother helping Galadriel prepare a family meal. Memories of her first meeting with Aragorn when he was twenty five, a fresh faced ranger. Of their stolen kisses whenever Elrond wasn’t looking, of their promise to marry one another when they were able to. Of a beautiful wedding in Gondor, a place in New Zealand that Tauriel had never heard of. 

 

In return, Arwen got Tauriel’s memories. The beast that attacked the slum she had come from. Nobody paying attention to one single orphaned street girl fighting with the boys in the dirt of the street. Boys turning into pimps being mercilessly disposed of by Tauriel, left as a public warning that she would kill them for forcing her or any of the girls she lived with into prostitution.  
Memories of signing up with the shatter dome only to be turned away until she floored the instructor and demanded that she be allowed after pummelling him with all her might.  
Arwen saw how she trained until she bled, until she could barely walk with pain. Her first meeting with Thranduil ending with him receiving a plethora of bruises and she receiving a cracked rib and a guarantee of a job. Nights and days spent with Kili, how he looked before the Kaiju blue, how he looked while he dozed. These were the memories that Tauriel cherished most. 

Tauriel would have spoken, but she didn’t need to, they both thought that this was an intense sensation, the rush was incredible. They were closer now than ever, as close as sisters even. They raised their Jaeger’s hand, amazed at the synchronisation. They were this, they could fight anything and survive it all. They were the power, they were a wave ready to crash and crumble rock if needed. 

“Kili. I love you. I’ll see you later, don’t you doubt it.” Tauriel sounded elated as they were taken to be dropped. 

 

Bilbo, Ori, Balin, Elrond, Kili, Gloin, Oin and Bifur were together in the control room, around them people monitored the progress. It was a quintuple event, Kili was in tears. Somebody would die. Gollum couldn’t be thrown in until the other Kaiju were dead, surely.  
Their code names were Angmar, Mumakil, Urukh, Nazgsteed and Shelob. 

Angmar and Shelob were category five, Urukh was a three as was Mumakil with Nazgsteed as a category four. 

 

The Jaegers were dropped. Thorin and Dwalin had ropes tugging Gollum towards the breach, so deep under the water. According to their radars, Shelob was the only one remaining near the breach, the others headed towards Manila. Gollum seemed to rear up more often the closer they got to the breach. Nori and Bofur were on guard, as were Radagast and Beorn. 

A few thousand more meters and Gollum began to try and swim ahead, Elrond told them it was fine, the beast probably was thinking that it had freedom, that it was going home. It was so wrong, of course. Their radars informed them that they were getting closer to Shelob. Bofur and Nori insisted on going first into the drop zone before the breach. They landed, then Maker’s Hammer and then Oaky Pipe. 

There was activity ahead, the creature, huge, black and mangled swam over them. Thorin and Dwalin had to keep going, no matter what. They kicked Gollum and forced it to keep going on the path to the breach. It was huge, they would have no trouble forcing it down into the hole. 

 

Shelob dived down, stinger aimed straight for the heart of Throwing Knife, but luckily Oaky Pipe grabbed hold of it in time, but weren’t prepared for the mass of legs that took hold of their Jaeger. They could feel Throwing knife’s projectiles hitting the Kaiju over and over, making it let go of them if only momentarily. It turned, stinging at the Throwing Knife’s body. 

Bofur and Nori grunted as they felt the Jaeger being pierced, but snapped off the sting, driving it into the creature’s abdominal region as repayment for the great wound that had been inflicted upon their precious Jaeger that had been repaired on their time and their money with their workforce, not Jaeger Tech’s, but Nori’s own. 

Thorin and Dwalin paid no attention, the mission was their focus, not the others. As long as they got this in, it wouldn’t matter. This was important to everyone. Others came second to stopping the breach’s activity, no matter what. 

Gollum kept going, eager to get towards it, they tugged harsh on the wires linking them to the beast, to slow it. A harsh noise came from it, but it was greatly muffled by the sea their sonar sensed it. It turned, eyes full of malice, biting at the wires, reaching the left hand of Maker’s Hammer and bit down hard, severing some of the fingers so that it was released. Thorin grunted and Dwalin brought the right hand up to punch, releasing the right cord. 

Gollum scratched at them once last time before it descended into the breach with what looked like it could be glee, mirth or ill intent. Something about it just seemed eager to be away, to go into the breach and not turn back. 

“It’s in, Gollum and the Ring are in the fires of doom” Thorin said over the radio. They turned, ready to leave and get out of range should the blast come outwards for them. 

“Alright. T minus 60 seconds.” Dain replied, letting them finish up the fight and escape. Their Jaeger began to count for them, with the sounds finally coming back to them. Bofur and Nori were shouting at them. 

“For the love of god help us, it’s going to kill them! You bastards it’s going to kill them!” Nori begged over the radio. How long had they been shouting for? They finally looked at their comrades. 

Their blood froze in their veins, Throwing Knife was down, looking terribly damaged and Oaky Pipe was battling with missing limbs. 

They ran as fast as their Jaeger would allow, feeling the rift shutting behind them with deep vibrations below the earth, around them fissures began to open and they found themselves dodging fiery magma blasts, the seismic pressure from the breach obviously creating this. They took hold of Throwing Knife as the cracks spread. In the haze of the deeps they pulled the Jaeger up just as the first lava burst from the cracks. 

“Radagast! Beorn, throw it into the fire. Throw it now and we can get out and help the others.” They saw a distinct shake of the Jaeger’s head, barely aware of which one was speaking from how immersed they were in the drift. 

“Too much damage. We’re taking on water. Won’t make it to the surface in time. You boys all have something to live for. Go, Durinsons. For the bunnies.” Beorn sounded pained. They would come back for them. “Now get off the line, we wanna talk to the control room.” 

Thorin pursed his lips, so did Dwalin. They patted Throwing Knife and began the journey to the surface as the gaping magma continued to spill forth, with Oaky Pipe bringing Shelob closer to the red death. 

“Elrond, is the bunny there? Or Lord Celeborn?” He asked for himself and Radagast.  
“Bunny is here- I mean, yes yes I am here. What would you like for me to do?” Bilbo asked, pushing Oin and Elrond away from the Microphone. 

“Bunny, you take good care of the kit- your Frodo. He will go on to be something incredible. You take the money I have in the bank, you give it to help rebuild everywhere but keep a little to pay for Frodo to attend the finest of universities. You take Radagast’s and use it on animal charities. We’re both sound in mind, just do it okay? And go to my quarters, there is an old bear toy. Give it to the little bunny. He’ll appreciate it.” 

“Yes, yes of course. Anything else?” Bilbo asked, trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat. 

“Smile, when your Durinson comes back. He loves you bunny, I couldn’t have imagined it happening if I had been told you two would be beloved by one another when he threw you out of that drugged up concrete pipe.” Beorn chuckled after a moment. 

“Elrond I hope your daughter comes back to you. She’s a fine little sparrow!” Radagast added, before a cracking noise could be heard. A quiet mumbling was all that was heard before silence.

“Godspeed Beorn, Aiwendil. May Gandalf find you on the other side.”

 

In the control room a loud cheer went up as the breach collapsed, but now it was anticipation. It was fear. Two Kaiju down, the breach closed. Four to go. 

On the surface in Manila, they were still fighting. Tauriel and Fili were good at communicating between Jaegers. Arwen and Eomer were just fine to go with the Durinson plan, they trusted them enough. They were fighting Urukh together, figuring out the weakness while around them the others held off the higher categories, trying to kill as best they could. 

Knifed Drawstring swung right, firing projectiles into Urukh’s skull while the ladies sliced and carved into the flesh of the Kaiju. It hit at Knifed Drawstring, but found that its sword-like arm was cleaved off, blue blood spilling into the sea. It lurched, turning to try and hit Rimo Rimma, but found that there was a blast to the throat, leaving the wounds in the tough hide gaping open enough for it to be killed. It was all Fili and Eomer needed to decapitate the great beast, sending its head flying at Mumakil. 

Mirky Green was grappling with Mumakil, successfully forcing it down onto its knees, if you could call them that, cutting into its skull. They’d insisted on taking it solo, which was madness, so Forest Fire came with them, protecting their side whenever needed, as well as keeping the other Kaiju away. The tusks of Mumakil were sharp, there was no doubt about that, as part of their armour had been cleaved off, but they continued to fight, swinging a swordlike fist into the top of the skull. 

Mumakil fell still. Forest Fire left quickly, heading over to try and protect Rimo Rimma, which was fighting Angmar and not doing so well under the mace-like blows coming from the palm of a sharp, talon based hand.

Mirky Green decided that they would turn, going for Nazgsteed now. Something Russian was shouted through the intercom at them from Eomer, but it was too late. A great tusk pierced through the top, cutting through steel, wires and flesh. 

Legolas screamed, eyes wide with horror, blood spurting from his father’s chest. In that second time seemed to slow, despite the pain he felt through the drift he reached out and attempted to grasp a hold of his father, but in that second all that burned through his mind was apology, was how sorry Thranduil was for all he’d done. The hits, the social aversion, everything he knew upset his son. 

And then time came back, he was gone, ripped from the harness as Legolas was left alone.  
Knifed Drawstring tackled the beast after it ripped into Mirky Green. They’d been cocky, they hadn’t checked. Eomer didn’t know who was dead, but he’d seen a body on a tusk. That was all he needed to gouge out the beast’s stomach, Fili shouting in rage beside him as they did so. Finally they were certain the creature was dead, a heart in their Jaeger’s hand, having ripped it from the chest.  
It gave one last beat before they shot it to pieces, with an afterthought of apology to Nori’s business which would have benefited from a huge heart like this.  
Legolas squirmed, taking the whole mental load of Piloting as he fired one last time, distracting Nazgsteed with a shot to the eye before he and the Jaeger collapsed. 

Forest Fire battled against Nazgsteed, cutting at the limbs, but it was in vain. This Kaiju was almost too hard, they were used to category twos and threes, they had only come out of retirement to support the teams, just in case. They knew it would have been hard, but they weren’t ready or expecting this. 

Tom joked about needing his brown pants as their armour was a faded red. Fangorn, however hadn’t been expecting that they would be just pinning down a few Kaiju or something of that sort. They were wrong. They were so wrong. Fangorn was always the image of calm, even at times like this. 

The creature took hold of them, lifting them up into the sky. So, without any warning or confirmation from Elrond, they carved off the wings and fell down to earth in deathly calm with a screeching, bleeding Kaiju. 

In the time that had taken, Maker’s Hammer had been lifted over to the action, still mostly intact and willing to fight to save lives, and were waiting, axe-head waiting to slice the creature’s neck from its head. It fell with surprising force, the blow was clean and the wounds already inflicted were going to kill it anyway, so they were just saving its pitiful life. 

“Uncle Thorin!” Fili shouted with glee, that meant it had worked. It had gone right. 

The remaining Jaegers surrounded Angmar. Arwen and Tauriel were still facing it off, the great black mass of withered flesh and hard bones. Eomer knew he had to do this, for Eowyn who couldn’t be there. Fili nodded and grinned. 

They shouted a warning over the radio as their Jaeger made the most incredibly deep humming noise. Their arms raised, pulling the drawstring. The power left the entire left arm, not even leaving enough for it to move as it flopped down against the main body. 

The golden boys grinned and together they threw the huge pulse of energy at Angmar, ripping away the back legs completely. It bellowed in response, smacking the Maker’s Hammer with its ridged and probably poisonous tail, sending it flying through the air and into the corpse of Mumakil.  
Urukh’s head floated nearby, tongue sticking out almost comically, but the poison was inside the Jaeger. Hundreds of explosions began inside as a result. It killed their power, it left the Jaeger prone.

 

In the control room, Bilbo was white as a sheet. Thorin had been speaking to him only seconds before, but now it was silent after Dwalin had growled and a series of explosions inside the Jaeger technology. He prayed it hadn’t damaged the core, or else they would be dead. They would be absolutely devastated. 

The core exploded. 

Bilbo nearly fainted on the spot. Kili screamed and Balin covered his mouth, eyes clenched tightly shut.

 

Fili and Eomer shouted, trying their hardest to attack again, but their Jaeger didn’t have enough power for another shot to aid their team members. 

It was all down to Tauriel and Arwen. 

In their drift, all Tauriel could hear from Arwen was a prayer to her ancestors, a prayer to her lost mother, to Galadriel, to Gandalf, to Fingolfin, to Finarfin, to Feanor and Finwe and finally a prayer for her father and grandfather and husband. She prayed for the water to aid them in protecting the earth and the ones they loved against this wraith. 

Tauriel took a deep breath as they deployed Hadhafang, plunging the huge bomb into the mouth of Angmar. It exploded almost instantly, throwing them away from the minor nuclear blast. 

In the control room, Kili was sobbing beside Bilbo. He was certain that they were all dead, none were speaking despite vital readings being present and positive from both Fili and Tauriel. How could he tell his mother that Dwalin was dead? How could he tell her Thorin and Dwalin saved the world and were now dead. 

Bilbo was almost catatonic. He hadn’t spoken, hadn’t moved much beyond sitting at his desk after Thorin went quiet and the core exploded. Everything had turned cold and heartless as far as he cared. Kili was beside him, sobbing faintly bio-luminescent tears. Elrond was deploying teams to go and rescue as much as they could. 

Nori and Bofur were already on their way back, Bofur’s insistence of sitting as close to Nori had apparently been quite troubling for the people checking for injuries, but Bofur truly didn’t care one bit. 

 

Down below, the all clear was finally given. Had it succeeded? Frodo was awoken by Dis who was crying, kissing his face happily. He didn’t know what was happening, but it probably meant that Smeagol was dead. He felt sorry, but a little happy as now it meant that it wouldn’t be suffering any longer. And he could now FINALLY have some breakfast! 

Aunty Dis carried him and had an arm around the pretty tall girl, Frodo was certain her name was Sigrid, she was Tilda’s older sister at least. The man that was Tilda’s dad was carrying Tilda and holding onto Tilda’s brother. Frodo wanted to see Uncle Bilbo, but knew that he couldn’t right now, because he was still working. Did this mean Uncle Thorin would never get hurt by the monsters again? The Kaiju would at least not come for him, if Smeagol was gone and dead at least. 

 

The rescue operation began in earnest, Legolas was pulled from the wreckage by a team from Manila, not speaking or responding to anything they said. It felt like his heart had been destroyed, they still hadn’t found his father’s body. 

He was brought back to base and nobody came to see him that he wanted to speak to, however Gimli came back multiple times and tried to get into the room. 

Legolas found a knife, his hair hung low around him but he collected it all up into a ponytail, cutting it off almost completely, the hair cropped short to his head. 

An hour later, Gimli finally managed to get help and forced the door open, blinking in surprise at the awful hair loss around Legolas. He shooed away some of the staff and shut the door slightly. Legolas couldn’t look at him for the shame of it all. He’d just...Just cut all of his hair off and now looked ridiculous.

“If you’re going to cut it all off, at least let me get some scissors.” Gimli grunted, taking hold of the man, tugging him out of the gloomy room. He stowed the knife away where it couldn’t hurt anyone and brought Legolas to his own room, forcing him to sit on the floor with a towel over his shoulders. 

“Why’d you cut it off? I thought it was quite beautiful, a lot like miss Arwen’s.” Gimli asked, obviously unaware of the culture behind cutting off a pony tail like he had done. 

“It’s the start of a new life. My father is gone and now I am the last male Orophoron of the main line. I’m alone now, I have to be strong for the rest of us.” Legolas mumbled, as Gimli began to trim his hair. After about ten minutes of silence, he was done and Legolas didn’t look quite so much like a shaved dog. 

“You’re not alone. You’ve got Tauriel, Eomer and the Durinsons.” Gimli chuckled, running a hand through the now short black hair. “You look like one of those pop stars. Are you sure you’re not? I mean, Jaeger pilots were meant to be rock stars or something” Gimli teased. 

“And I have you, too mister dwarf.” Legolas added as an afterthought. 

“Dwarf? I’m not a dwarf!” Gimli replied indignantly, removing the towel and fetching over a mirror for Legolas to admire himself in. 

“Well you have the beard and you are quite short. I’m allowed to confuse you for a dwarf if you confuse me for a pop star.” Legolas teased, blinking away tears as he looked at himself in the mirror. He didn’t look bad, he decided. A good look for him completely. 

Gimli just laughed and helped him up to his feet, ignoring the small pile of hair. 

 

Bilbo went to his room. It used to be his and Thorin’s, but there was no Thorin anymore, was there? They were still cutting into the head of Maker’s Hammer to try and get them out, last he’d checked. All they’d find was burnt corpses of the men he’d come to see as family. Well, some of his family anyway. 

He was part of a big family, of the Russians ‘Ri brothers and the ‘Ur family. Ori was one of his best friends, Ori like a slightly camp cousin who loved looking after Frodo and little Tilda. Bofur reminded him of a happy cat or something like that, they were close too, but not on the same level as he and Ori. 

And then there was the Durinsons. They were his real family. He wiped his eyes and fumbled in the dark for where he knew the ring box was, pulling out the ring Thorin had picked for him. It was such a Thorin thing, white gold with a single piece of Onyx at the center surrounded by small diamonds.

It was such a Thorin thing to pick as an engagement ring. He covered his mouth as a whimper bubbled in his throat. It would just be he and Frodo alone in Bag End, without that silly oaf. 

He slipped the ring onto his finger, lips pressed against it. This was all he had as proof of their love. He would have given up even a kingdom of wealth if it meant Thorin survived. He’d give away all he owned, if he had to. Just so that he could have Thorin back where he belonged, in their room.  
Or even have him in Erebor or Bag End. Anywhere, just to have him in his arms again.

 

Fili and Eomer were fine, they were waiting with Dis, Eowyn and Kili for Tauriel to come through for them so they could celebrate as a little family together, but not the full family. They were still waiting for news on Thorin and Dwalin, but at least they were all together. 

He was quiet. It was all quiet in the room for now. He just wanted to sleep for a thousand years.

He would remember one day. But not yet. He had promised, one day he would let everything come back to him. But now it was numb and cold and devoid of light, cold as stone down beneath the ground. 

 

As the clock ticked to one in the afternoon they broke into the head of Maker’s Hammer. It was empty but thoroughly fried to a crisp.  
They searched desperately for anything to indicate what had happened. It was only after Gloin pointed upwards that they noticed the escape pods were missing. A relieved laugh bubbled from Dain.

 

Fili ran into Bilbo’s room, shouting that they were most likely alive, that it was okay and he could come out now. With shaking hands, Bilbo rolled up a cigarette and went to wait in the main lobby with hope brimming in his chest. 

Dis clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder. He held onto her, smoking over her shoulder. Kili and Tauriel were cuddled up close together, with him murmuring gently into her ear what was probably sweet and tender love confessions, thanking god that she was alive and in his arms, that she was brave. 

At least, that’s what he wanted to do for Thorin. He wasn’t brave, he certainly couldn’t face down Dori like Nori was now. He was unashamedly sat there with Bofur, hand in hand as Dori shouted himself red in the face in Russian about how he’d risked himself in the Jaeger like that, while Ori was crying tears of relief, clutching a bottle of something alcoholic and Korean with Bombur patting his back gently. 

 

Fili and Eomer were nowhere to be seen, but Eowyn gave Tauriel a knowing look whenever she separated from Faramir long enough to do so. In return, Tauriel informed Kili who simply laughed and pressed his face into Tauriel’s shoulder to contain his glee. 

Hours passed and finally Dain called in, saying that they’d found Thorin and Dwalin. They were alive, only a few bad burns to their bodies, they had been adrift near a small island close to Manila, but they were alive and talking about how they would celebrate life with their families.

Bilbo and Dis laughed, Frodo received a smattering of kisses to his face. The Durinsons (Tauriel and the Bagginses included) went to wait for them being brought in by helicopter, ignoring Elrond telling them to stay inside.  
Dwalin and Thorin were brought out of the helicopter, only to be swarmed by their family. 

Bilbo took hold of Thorin, insisting on getting the first contact with him. He cupped the pilot’s face, pulling him in for a tense kiss, body shaking in response to the relief washing over him. 

Thorin took his hand, holding tightly onto him. 

“You little thief, I hid that on purpose.” Thorin mumbled, pressing their foreheads together. Bilbo blinked, frowning. 

“What on earth are you talking about?” He asked as Thorin kissed his palm. 

“Ring. I take it that you mean yes, then?” Thorin chuckled.

Beside them, Dis was shouting at Dwalin who was grinning from ear to ear, while a love-bitten Fili and wild eyed Kili clung to his arms laughing madly, shouting about how incredible he’d been in battle, Fili demanding to fill him in on everything that had happened. 

Damn these confounded Durinsons.

“Well of course it does you thick headed idiot, you think I would have worn it if I wasn’t about to mourn a life spent without you?” Bilbo sounded a little too snappy, but that didn’t matter because they both knew it was born from terror now pushed aside. 

“Never change Bilbo, you’re wonderful.” Thorin chuckled, kissing his forehead.

 

After another kiss to the lips, Dis pushed Bilbo aside and took hold of her brother’s face as if to kiss his forehead, but instead butted him hard enough to knock him backwards and for Dwalin to guffaw loudly, catching hold of Thorin before he could stumble backwards and hurt himself. 

“Welcome to the family Bilbo. Well, you already were, but I mean. You’re now properly one of us!” Kili beamed, patting Bilbo on the back a little roughly, but he didn’t mind it right now, he was too elated. 

Bilbo spluttered and held onto Thorin, who was obviously more hurt from the fight than he was letting on, but for now all that mattered was that he was alive. 

“Get that armour off of you, get yourself checked over and meet me in bed in forty minutes.” He whispered into Thorin’s ear, getting a little grunt in response. 

Frodo was next in line to hug Thorin, his little dark curls bouncing as Thorin lifted him up and squeezed him tightly, then he passed the boy to Dis and hugged his nephews. God he was so proud of those silly boys. They were heroes. 

 

But what was most important was getting himself checked over for what would be one of the most enjoyable nights of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All that's left now is the epilogue, the world rebuilding after the near end.  
> And the shorts for the series Pacific Erebor. Which will make me happy because I enjoyed writing the filler-y chapters so much! Building friendships was the aim of this fic
> 
> also eomer and fili banged. no regrets.


	20. Epilogue

They were hailed as heroes, Thorin and Dwalin appearing on chat shows with Legolas or any of the other pilots, Fili and Eomer being given a huge house in Moscow as a gift from the president. Tauriel and Arwen being offered modelling contracts and their own TV shows, being depicted as feminist heroines around the world for their work in saving them all from the biggest category five that came through. 

 

One particular chat show stuck in Thorin’s mind. It was just he and Dwalin on an Australian show, late night TV. The presenters were a young blonde woman and a slightly older man, working for a more comedic interview. 

“So, Thorin. Have you got a lucky lady now you’ve completed your mission? If not, I’m sure we can hook you up with a lovely lady. We know you refused to date back in your earlier interviews with us. Any luck now?” The woman asked, she was flirty and always had been. 

Thorin glanced at Dwalin who just laughed hard. 

“Well Dwalin we know you’re dating Thorin’s sister. I bet that brought up awkward situations in the drift. Go on, Dwalin tell us who he’s with, if he is off the market!” The man grinned, Thorin just looked at Dwalin through the corner of his eye and cleared his throat. 

“Well, actually I’m engaged to a scientist from Jaeger Tech. If you hadn’t noticed the ring on my finger.” Thorin tried not to be too gruff about the reaction.

“So who’s the lucky lady? I’m sure she’s very lucky to have a man as handsome as you, if she’s a scientist she’s hardly going to be a model!” 

“Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins, actually.” Thorin replied, face straight at he looked at them with a passive smugness. 

“Bilba? Is she a pretty thing somebody like you deserves or rather boring?” The man asked, wiggling his brows, winking at Thorin. 

“No, I said Bilbo. He was the one who helped design the Ring for destroying the breach. And brought me back to pilot Maker’s Hammer with Dwalin here. We’ve been engaged since the last mission. And he’s far from boring, trust me.” Thorin allowed his face to twist into a little smug smile at the reactions he got. He knew it would be risky bringing it out like that, but it didn’t matter. 

“Oh, well we never knew you were of that persuasion, since you’re so...Macho, and all.” The woman began, but was cut off by a look from Dwalin. 

“I am more than happy to say that I love Bilbo, Dwalin knows. It’s got nothing to do with my persuasion as you would put it, really.” Thorin resisted the urge to burn through them with his eyes, but for now Dwalin just shifted ever so slightly. They were the ones with the power in this interview. 

“Well, there you have it ladies and gents! Thorin Durinson is going to get married!” The male presenter cut in, trying to steer it away from the cold that radiated off the Durinson men when one felt threatened. 

“So, Dwalin do you have any plans to get married to Dis? Would you be able to handle having such strong step-sons?” And so the interview went back on. 

After the show, Dwalin had grinned and put an arm around Thorin who shook his head. 

Did he really look like such a lady killer? Honestly, it wasn’t like he’d told them he dated women or men in old interviews. Dwalin couldn’t stop laughing, Thorin wasn’t the type to have two blonde models on his arm, after all. 

 

He was greeted by the sight of Bilbo asleep in the hotel that they were being accommodated in for the week they would be in Sydney. He was on the sofa curled up with an empty cup of tea on the table in front of him. He brought the blanket over after he’d gotten out of his suit, draping it over Bilbo’s sleeping form.  
Thorin couldn’t resist coming to sit with Bilbo after seeing him so calm, drifting to sleep with the smaller man lying against him, warming his entire body from the core with the peace that washed over him. 

 

Dwalin and Dis were in the room nearby, nestled in bed together. If anyone assumed Dwalin was a cuddler, they would be told that they were ridiculous, these Durinsons were so intimidating after all.

He was, which Dis took advantage of whenever she could, resulting in her holding Dwalin, heads resting together as the man curled closer to her.  
They were going to the capitals of major pacific countries, being given things from the people as thanks. It was a little overwhelming, but necessary. 

In Erebor , Dis and Dwalin were given a huge home with enough rooms for most of the Durinson family to fit inside.  
Back in the Shire, Bilbo, Thorin and Frodo settled down to life in Bag End.  
Life would be good from here on our.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's over finally  
> But i'll write smaller fics as part of the pacific erebor series.  
> Feedback would be lovely, I'm always eager to improve

**Author's Note:**

> I should clarify that this takes place over a longer period than pacific rim, which only went on for 12 years.   
> Pacific Erebor's Kaiju war lasted 27 years. So the first ever Kaiju attack happened when Thorin and Bilbo were teenagers.   
> The chronology goes:  
> First Kaiju attack 2013 (a year and a half between attacks), second in october 2014.   
> Smaug attacked Erebor in 2027. Blind pilots happens in 2038/2039.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Drifting Apart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2066022) by [FiliKiliThorinForever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiliKiliThorinForever/pseuds/FiliKiliThorinForever)




End file.
